Liaoning's Communist Party secretary Wang Min eyes his Politburo prize

Liaoning's Communist Party secretary, Wang Min , responded to 34 online petition letters in July, a show of sympathy for public concerns that has become normal practice for provincial leaders keen to ease social tensions and maintain stability.

One was a complaint about the low compensation that Panjin's city government was offering for farmland being requisitioned for road construction. In his response, published on the People's Daily website, Wang said the amount offered was reasonable and had been accepted by most of those affected.

Two months later, on September 21, a policeman shot dead a 36-year-old Panjin farmer who was trying to stop two bulldozers from destroying his rice field.

Fierce criticism erupted online, with many questioning the use of lethal force. Panjin prosecutors said the farmer was armed with an axe and sickle and had threatened the officer's life. The officer fired six shots, injuring the farmer's parents.

However, political analysts said it was too minor a scandal to derail 62-year-old Wang's expected promotion to the powerful Politburo at the party's upcoming national congress.

After serving as governor or party chief of two rust-belt northeastern provinces - first Jilin and then Liaoning - for about eight years, Wang is seen as a key contributor in the revival of old industrial bases. Before his transfer to Liaoning in November 2009, Wang had spent time in charge of the affluent city of Suzhou , in Jiangsu , and the agricultural and industrial hinterland province of Jilin.