China leader's low profile has some asking where's Hu

BEIJING -- Hu Jintao may be China's new top communist, but he's hardly letting it show.

Two weeks after his debut as party general secretary, China's vice president has all but disappeared from view. Chinese state television has presented him on just a couple of occasions, and his other activities are unadvertised -- and largely unknown.

With four months to go before stage two of China's leadership transition, and Hu's ascension to the presidency, he has reason to be cautious. As he has throughout his climb, Hu must avoid making mistakes that could be used against him.

China's communists have never experienced such an orderly change in power, so it's impossible to tell if Hu's low profile was expected. Only rumors, speculation and occasional leaked documents offer clues to events inside the country's opaque political system.

Hu's predecessor as general secretary, President Jiang Zemin, doesn't look like he's going anywhere. Jiang has been highlighted nightly on state TV since the end of the party congress at which Hu was anointed earlier this month. Official news releases still place Jiang's name ahead of Hu's, a sign of primacy in China's rigidly hierarchical propaganda machine.

"Hu may not like it, but he clearly understands the importance not to appear to challenge Jiang unless and until he is confident of success," said Steve Tsang, director of Asian studies at Oxford University's St. Antony's College.

"The safest bet for not publicly making a mistake is to say as little as possible," Tsang said.

Such caution has been the byword of Hu's political career.