Sichuan successes make party secretary Liu Qibao a shining star

Just six months into his job as Communist Party chief of the western Sichuan province, Liu Qibao had to co-ordinate its recovery from one of the country's biggest natural disasters in 60 years.

Today, four years after the devastating magnitude 8 earthquake that killed more than 86,000 people in Sichuan, Liu can boast of his achievements in the province. Reconstruction work was completed last year - a year earlier than expected - and Sichuan's annual economic output has doubled to two trillion yuan.

Liu's successes in Sichuan have political analysts viewing him as a rising star, possibly destined for promotion to the powerful Politburo at the party's national congress this year or being put in charge of the country's propaganda machine as head of the party's publicity department.

Liu, 59, had spent seven years in charge of propaganda for various agencies and was once the party mouthpiece People's Daily's deputy chief editor.

Professor Ding Lin, a political scientist at Sichuan Agricultural University, said Liu was the best writer among the current crop of provincial party secretaries. "He writes a lot in the Economic Daily and Seeking Truth," he said. "His words are simple but very insightful and show a profound grasp of theory."

The media savvy Liu is also one of the few party officials to use new media to reach out to residents. He once told his subordinates to prepare for the changes to be brought about by the internet and ordered government agencies to respond to internet users' comments on a regular basis.