China Experts Debate Who is Xi Jinping
- 11 years ago
At the Council of Foreign Relations in New York last Friday (February 22), top China experts discussed the rapid changes facing China. In particular, the question, "What type of leader is Xi Jinping?" Will the "princeling" son of a Communist Party elder be a reformer? Or will he leave the Party's grip on power untouched?
[Director of Research Cheng Li, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution]
"For liberal intellectuals, they think he'll be China's Deng Xiaoping. For conservatives they think he'll be China's Mao Zedong. Of course China is neither Mao nor Deng. Now some people in foreign countries think he'll be China's Gorbechov. But that's a curse for him. Now I think the real possibility is he may become China's Chiang Ching-kuo; this is the son of Chiang Kai-shek—a Princeling, a conservative, all of a sudden opened up Taiwanese legal system."
Chiang Ching-kuo was best known for the sweeping political reforms he made at the end of his rule. He was pivotal in Taiwan's democratic reforms and ending martial law on the island.
But will Xi be the one to introduce major political changes in mainland China?
[Director for Asia Studies Elizabeth Economy, Council on Foreign Relations]:
"I have to say from everything I've observed, if you look back in Xi Jinping's history, for example, there's nothing about him that suggests he's going to be a reformer. Maybe there'll be a crisis that will provoke a sudden shift in his approach, but by and large, he's been very cautious, and pretty much everything that has emanated from him to date, I think suggests, he's looking for a strengthening of the Party."
Ms. Economy pointed out that Xi would most likely see the Soviet Union's attempts at political reform as the precursor to the USSR's downfall.
She says that while Xi has made a great publicity campaign of soliciting feedback, she doesn't think the feedback will be implemented.
[Director for Asia Studies Elizabeth Economy, Council on Foreign Relations]:
"Engaging people at the local level, a little bit more than they have in the past, drawing them in, getting their opinions make them feel as though they're participating, without actually giving them any say in the decision making part of the political process. But by and large I don't see him as someone who's at all interested in loosening the grip of the Party on fundamental managing of the political system."
Xi Jinping took over as the Secretary General of the Communist Party in November last year. He will take the helm of China's government during the National People's Congress starting on March 5th.
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[Director of Research Cheng Li, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution]
"For liberal intellectuals, they think he'll be China's Deng Xiaoping. For conservatives they think he'll be China's Mao Zedong. Of course China is neither Mao nor Deng. Now some people in foreign countries think he'll be China's Gorbechov. But that's a curse for him. Now I think the real possibility is he may become China's Chiang Ching-kuo; this is the son of Chiang Kai-shek—a Princeling, a conservative, all of a sudden opened up Taiwanese legal system."
Chiang Ching-kuo was best known for the sweeping political reforms he made at the end of his rule. He was pivotal in Taiwan's democratic reforms and ending martial law on the island.
But will Xi be the one to introduce major political changes in mainland China?
[Director for Asia Studies Elizabeth Economy, Council on Foreign Relations]:
"I have to say from everything I've observed, if you look back in Xi Jinping's history, for example, there's nothing about him that suggests he's going to be a reformer. Maybe there'll be a crisis that will provoke a sudden shift in his approach, but by and large, he's been very cautious, and pretty much everything that has emanated from him to date, I think suggests, he's looking for a strengthening of the Party."
Ms. Economy pointed out that Xi would most likely see the Soviet Union's attempts at political reform as the precursor to the USSR's downfall.
She says that while Xi has made a great publicity campaign of soliciting feedback, she doesn't think the feedback will be implemented.
[Director for Asia Studies Elizabeth Economy, Council on Foreign Relations]:
"Engaging people at the local level, a little bit more than they have in the past, drawing them in, getting their opinions make them feel as though they're participating, without actually giving them any say in the decision making part of the political process. But by and large I don't see him as someone who's at all interested in loosening the grip of the Party on fundamental managing of the political system."
Xi Jinping took over as the Secretary General of the Communist Party in November last year. He will take the helm of China's government during the National People's Congress starting on March 5th.
For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntd.tv
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision
Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C