Hu solidifies power

[VV o n g B a]

Chinese Leader Solidifies Power
Defying Predictions, President Hu Raises Hopes for Change
By John Pomfret
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, June 28, 2003; Page A18


BEIJING -- China's new president, Hu Jintao, has moved rapidly to solidify his hold on power and, seven months after becoming Communist Party chief, has defied predictions that he would labor under the shadow of his predecessor, according to political analysts.

Hu has profited from crises -- China's battle against SARS and an extremely sensitive corruption investigation in Shanghai, the analysts said. In foreign, domestic and military affairs, he has moved decisively to distinguish himself from the old government, led by Jiang Zemin. And Hu has accomplished these feats by avoiding, so far, the mistake made by two fallen Communist Party chiefs: He is carrying out this political rise without slighting Jiang.

"We used to be worried that Hu would not succeed as a politician," said Shi Yinhong, a professor of political science at People's University. "We are not worried anymore."

Hu's rise has been so smooth that it has led some intellectuals in Beijing to hope that he will push significant political reforms of the communist system.

He has backed experiments in limited political change, the first such experimentation in years. He has established a group to revise the constitution, possibly to protect private property. In May, he became the first Chinese leader to attend a meeting of the Group of Eight industrial countries, shelving his predecessors' contention that it was a "rich man's club" and that China's interests lay solidly within the developing world. And, despite a recent crackdown on the tightly controlled media, Hu has directed propaganda chiefs to prepare the media for greater foreign investment and told them to dismantle the antiquated system of publishing permits, sources close to the government said.

"There are huge expectations of Hu," Shi said, "for political reform, economic reform and foreign policy reform."

However, many of the expectations, Shi and other analysts agreed, appear to be wishful thinking. Nothing in the biography of Hu, who is 60 and was trained as a hydrologist, points to a man ready to dismantle Communist Party rule. Hu is interested not in creating a democracy, but in "improving the efficiency of the state," Shi said.

Nonetheless, the analysts said, Hu's rise has helped broaden the terms of political discourse here. For the first time in years, normally conservative Communist Party publications are writing about the need for significant political openness. Hu is expected to float several plans for limited political restructuring in a speech on Tuesday marking the 82nd anniversary of the Communist Party.

full story

[mr. x]

pssh, kelly hu has lost it man...oh wait, wrong hu....

[rakovlam]

Hu solidifies power.

Hu

The guy who solidified power

Hu

The Chinese president up there.

I'm telling you. Hu solidifies power.

That's what I'm trying to ask!


Okay, that's enough alcohol.

Hu is interested not in creating a democracy, but in "improving the efficiency of the state," Shi said.

uh oh

[MellowDrama]

Hu's on first?

I'm actually quite surprised that he was able to wrest the power away (or maybe they let him have it?) from the old guard (Jiang and pals). The phrase "prying it from my cold, dead hands" always comes to mind when talking about succession in totalitarian regimes.

:o

[Tao]

Originally posted by MellowDrama@Jul 1 2003, 04:31 PM
succession in totalitarian regimes.

:o

minor correction, china's not a totalitarian regime, more of an authoritarian one

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Every time I hear something along the lines of 'faster than expected' being associated with China-related issues or progress, a big warning sign always pops up inside my head, dunno why haha. I need to stop being so cynical about the Chinese government. Actually, naw...I'm not changin' nuthin...I'm fine.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by FrozenPizza@Jul 4 2003, 04:53 PM
Every time I hear something along the lines of 'faster than expected' being associated with China-related issues or progress, a big warning sign always pops up inside my head, dunno why haha. I need to stop being so cynical about the Chinese government. Actually, naw...I'm not changin' nuthin...I'm fine.

well, yes, political progress is slow. but there is definitely progress. China is so different from 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago.

[Emperor_Mike]

Political reforms won't get very far, unfortunately. Although Hu and his colleagues are "new blood" the majority of the Politburo is still more or less dominated by the Old Guard. China's road to greater "freedom" is still via commerce and capitalism. All in all, I remain cautiously optimistic.

[Cipherous]

Originally posted by Emperor_Mike@Jul 4 2003, 01:40 PM
Political reforms won't get very far, unfortunately. Although Hu and his colleagues are "new blood" the majority of the Politburo is still more or less dominated by the Old Guard. China's road to greater "freedom" is still via commerce and capitalism. All in all, I remain cautiously optimistic.

Rome wasn't built over night ya know.

Atleast there is progress unlike the majority of other countries around the world.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally posted by rakovlam@Jul 1 2003, 02:21 PM
Hu solidifies power.

Hu

The guy who solidified power

Hu

The Chinese president up there.

I'm telling you. Hu solidifies power.

That's what I'm trying to ask!


Okay, that's enough alcohol.



uh oh

*groan* ... wait till he finds out the standing committee has guys named Wen and Hao also ...

[Emperor_Mike]

Originally posted by Cipherous@Jul 4 2003, 02:41 PM
Rome wasn't built over night ya know.

Atleast there is progress unlike the majority of other countries around the world.

Sure. These things take time, I'm perfectly aware of that at least. Like you said, Rome wasn't built in a day. When everyone's rich and well fed then the political reforms will happen. Come to think of it, if Beijing was intent on keeping the Chinese people married to traditional Communism then there probably wouldn't be large scale economic experiments. If the people are content in terms of food and discretionary income they'll probably want more in the form of greater political say. If the CCP wants to maintain a strangle hold on politics in the country, I dare say they're going about it all wrong. :D

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Emperor_Mike@Jul 4 2003, 07:12 PM

Sure. These things take time, I'm perfectly aware of that at least. Like you said, Rome wasn't built in a day. When everyone's rich and well fed then the political reforms will happen. Come to think of it, if Beijing was intent on keeping the Chinese people married to traditional Communism then there probably wouldn't be large scale economic experiments. If the people are content in terms of food and discretionary income they'll probably want more in the form of greater political say. If the CCP wants to maintain a strangle hold on politics in the country, I dare say they're going about it all wrong. :D

that's precisely why they're so cautious about political reform. they don't want to become the next Russia. they want economic reform, and they want to increase the size of the middle class, but they are well aware that with an increasing bigger middle class, the political landscape is going to change. we're talking about more than one billion people here, it's an administrative nightmare. they want to be very careful about things. that's why they retain a very tight control over the people.