The son of China’s late Communist Party chief Hu Yaobang called on leaders of the world’s most populous nation to pursue political and economic changes as they prepare for a once-a-decade transfer of power.
“Reforms cannot be wasted, promises cannot be abandoned,” Hu Deping wrote in a commentary in yesterday’s Economic Observer, a Beijing-based newspaper.
China’s current problems not only threaten the nation’s healthy development, they violate people’s rights and undermine the party’s ability to govern, he wrote.
Hu’s call was made on the eve of a leadership transition that will probably see Xi Jinping replace Hu Jintao as general secretary of the party that’s ruled China since 1949.
The so- called fifth generation who will take charge of the country face the challenges of slowing economic growth, an aging population and an increasing number of protests against corruption and social issues such as environmental degradation.
“There is huge debate and disagreement among the political and economic elite about how to deal with the enormous difficulties and challenges facing the country,” said Ding Xueliang, a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who teaches contemporary Chinese politics.
“Different groups and different interests inside the party are all trying to voice their concerns and make proposals before the Congress.” Hu’s is the strongest voice among liberals in the country and part of a group inside the system with access to the top leadership, Ding said.
Top Leadership
Hu Deping wrote in his capacity as a member of the standing committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory group to the country’s legislature.
The Communist Party will, on Nov. 8 in Beijing, start its 18th Congress when 2,270 delegates meet over several days to decide on changes to the organization’s top leadership.
The elite Politburo Standing Committee, the highest ruling body in the party, currently has nine members including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, who will retire. Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who Ding expects to become premier, are also members.
In the runup to the meeting, former President Jiang Zemin made several public appearances, signaling his involvement in negotiations over who will run China for the next decade, according to analysts including John Lee of the University of Sydney.
China’s new leaders are poised to inherit the weakest economic growth since 1999, with expansion of 7.7 percent this year, according to the median estimate of 45 analysts in a Bloomberg News survey carried out from Oct. 18 to Oct. 22.
Party’s Determination
The party and the nation face two fundamental issues, Hu wrote in the newspaper which was founded by a Shandong, eastern China-based company.
“The first is its determination to push ahead with reform and opening-up including its economic system and its political system while the second is how to further implement socialist constitutional government and rule of law,” he said.
On the economy, Hu said the monopoly of state-owned enterprises must be broken up and the social security system must ensure the old, the young and the sick are provided for.
“We need to create conditions to let private enterprises enter monopoly industries, encourage fair and lawful competition, create and regulate open and fair markets,” he wrote.
Hu also said the party’s unchecked power had resulted in political interference in the judicial system and serious violations of people’s rights that are protected by the nation’s constitution.
The commentary is “a sort of subliminal campaigning,” said Kerry Brown, a former British diplomat in Beijing who is now a professor at the University of Sydney.
“A lot is still up for grabs and people want to get their say in just in case it can influence the whole process.”
bloomberg.com
“Reforms cannot be wasted, promises cannot be abandoned,” Hu Deping wrote in a commentary in yesterday’s Economic Observer, a Beijing-based newspaper.
China’s current problems not only threaten the nation’s healthy development, they violate people’s rights and undermine the party’s ability to govern, he wrote.
Hu’s call was made on the eve of a leadership transition that will probably see Xi Jinping replace Hu Jintao as general secretary of the party that’s ruled China since 1949.
The so- called fifth generation who will take charge of the country face the challenges of slowing economic growth, an aging population and an increasing number of protests against corruption and social issues such as environmental degradation.
“There is huge debate and disagreement among the political and economic elite about how to deal with the enormous difficulties and challenges facing the country,” said Ding Xueliang, a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who teaches contemporary Chinese politics.
“Different groups and different interests inside the party are all trying to voice their concerns and make proposals before the Congress.” Hu’s is the strongest voice among liberals in the country and part of a group inside the system with access to the top leadership, Ding said.
Top Leadership
Hu Deping wrote in his capacity as a member of the standing committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory group to the country’s legislature.
The Communist Party will, on Nov. 8 in Beijing, start its 18th Congress when 2,270 delegates meet over several days to decide on changes to the organization’s top leadership.
The elite Politburo Standing Committee, the highest ruling body in the party, currently has nine members including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, who will retire. Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who Ding expects to become premier, are also members.
In the runup to the meeting, former President Jiang Zemin made several public appearances, signaling his involvement in negotiations over who will run China for the next decade, according to analysts including John Lee of the University of Sydney.
China’s new leaders are poised to inherit the weakest economic growth since 1999, with expansion of 7.7 percent this year, according to the median estimate of 45 analysts in a Bloomberg News survey carried out from Oct. 18 to Oct. 22.
Party’s Determination
The party and the nation face two fundamental issues, Hu wrote in the newspaper which was founded by a Shandong, eastern China-based company.
“The first is its determination to push ahead with reform and opening-up including its economic system and its political system while the second is how to further implement socialist constitutional government and rule of law,” he said.
On the economy, Hu said the monopoly of state-owned enterprises must be broken up and the social security system must ensure the old, the young and the sick are provided for.
“We need to create conditions to let private enterprises enter monopoly industries, encourage fair and lawful competition, create and regulate open and fair markets,” he wrote.
Hu also said the party’s unchecked power had resulted in political interference in the judicial system and serious violations of people’s rights that are protected by the nation’s constitution.
The commentary is “a sort of subliminal campaigning,” said Kerry Brown, a former British diplomat in Beijing who is now a professor at the University of Sydney.
“A lot is still up for grabs and people want to get their say in just in case it can influence the whole process.”
bloomberg.com
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