Article Photos: More rumors swirl on status of China's absent VP



  In this May 4, 2012 photo, Chinese vice Premier Li Keqiang, center, stands up while Zhou Yongkang, left, and Li Changchun, right, both Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee members, clap at a conference to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of Chinese Communist Youth League at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Xi Jinping, China’s vice president, has not been seen in public since Sept. 1, fueling speculation that he suffered a health crisis that forced him to cancel meetings with Hillary Clinton and others. Much attention will likely turn to Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who many had picked as Hu Jintao’s preferred successor before Xi emerged in late 2007 as a choice more acceptable to the party’s factions. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

In this May 4, 2012 photo, Chinese vice Premier Li Keqiang, center, stands up while Zhou Yongkang, left, and Li Changchun, right, both Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee members, clap at a conference to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of Chinese Communist Youth League at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Xi Jinping, China’s vice president, has not been seen in public since Sept. 1, fueling speculation that he suffered a health crisis that forced him to cancel meetings with Hillary Clinton and others. Much attention will likely turn to Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who many had picked as Hu Jintao’s preferred successor before Xi emerged in late 2007 as a choice more acceptable to the party’s factions. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)