New Chinese Premier May Favor Dongfeng

Nissan Motor Co. expects its Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Group Co. to benefit from the expected elevation of Li Keqiang as China's premier early next year, The Nikkei reports.

The Tokyo-based newspaper cites the comments of an unidentified Nissan executive an auto industry meeting in China. The official predicts Dongfeng will "dominate" the industry for the next 10 years. (Most top Chinese officials serve two five-year terms.)

He says Dongfeng is linked to Li, a native of Anhui Province, by the powerful "Anhui clique" of influential officials from the region.