Hu Jintao: Playing the game to perfection

It has taken five years for President Hu Jintao to finally reveal who he really is. When the enigmatic Mr Hu became the front man of the Communist Party in November 2002, the question on everybody's lips was: 'Who is Hu?' The suggestions ranged from closet reformer to puppet president. Few had a clue.

But the temptation was strong to write off the new boss of the world's biggest political organisation. Mr Hu, at 59 the youngest leader in the party's history, was a bland face who paled beside his charismatic predecessors Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping .

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