A KEY protege of premier Li Peng is slated for promotion in the Communist Party and Government, according to political sources in Beijing.
The rising star of State Council Secretary-General Luo Gan is also evident from the exposure he has had in the national media.
The sources said Mr Luo, 60, would be given more responsibility in security, personnel and foreign affairs.
They said the East German-trained engineer would likely succeed Mr Li as head of the so-called Faction of the Alumnae of Eastern-bloc Colleges after the latter's retirement in 1998.
The media has given Mr Luo, considered a conservative, a big build-up on the occasion of the just-ended national conference of the heads of Public Security Bureaus in Shanghai.
The national press over the weekend gave a big play to a 'chance encounter' at the Bund between Mr Luo and a Shanghai police patrol team head, Wang Yongli.
