An introduction to leaders in the post-communist regimes

(Watch from 6:24 mark)

Vladimir Putin in 2010, when he was Prime Minister, before the 2012 shift back to President.
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BEIJING – A mystery blogger who appears to have close access to the daily activities of China's new leader may be the leader himself, say China watchers.

The blog "Study Xi Fans Group" has posted pictures of Communist Party Secretary General Xi Jinping's trip to northwest China along with detailed updates about his busy schedule.

To Americans used to the flood of minutiae issued to the White House press pool about President Obama, similar outpourings from China's government may seem like nothing unusual.

But in China, a close-up look at the leader of an organization long steeped in secrecy is a revelation all by itself. The activities of the party elite are normally reported in a carefully scripted manner, often delayed by a few days, by the state-run media.

The fawning and somewhat dull reporting on the blog is raising speculation on the Internet that China's leader, or rather his aides or bodyguards, are behind the accounts.
The anonymous blogger denied the rumors Tuesday.

"I'm not a Party member, nor a government official, nor do I have anything to do with General Secretary Xi's team," said a statement on the blog, which appears on the government sanctioned website used for Twitter-like postings.

The statement noted that other leaders such as Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, "all have their fan groups, it's my right to be a fan of who I want."

Media analyst Jeremy Goldkorn doesn't buy that explanation.

"My instinct says it's something fake, like most things are here. Somebody in or close to the system is doing it, but that doesn't necessarily mean Xi's people are doing it," said Goldkorn, whose "Danwei" website translates Chinese media articles into English.

Obama's official Twitter account has almost 27 million followers. In China, the ruling Communist Party blocks Twitter but similar sites that allow people to post messages and opinions have grown hugely popular.

Xi employs no such social media tools officially. "Study Xi Fans Group" appears on Sina Weibo, which is among the most widely used sites in China and one that complies with government censorship rules. Its followers have more than tripled in recent days to over 465,000.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/06/china-mystery-blogger-xi-jinping/1895543/