The Sixteenth National Party Congress: The Succession that Didn't Happen

2003 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Fewsmith
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Mao Zedong ◽  
National Party ◽  
Standing Committee ◽  
Real Power ◽  
Political Succession ◽  
Political Governance ◽  
General Secretary ◽  
Party Congress

Although the 16th National Party Congress was billed as one of political succession, the stage clearly belonged to 76-year-old Jiang Zemin, whose political report endorsed his major themes, including the controversial proposal to admit entrepreneurs into the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Revisions to the Party charter endorsed Jiang's “three represents” and equated Jiang's accomplishments with those of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Hu Jintao, widely expected to be the star of the show, was reduced to applauding Jiang's accomplishments. Although Hu (59) was named general secretary of the CCP as expected, Jiang packed the Politburo and its Standing Committee with his allies and retained his position as head of the Party's Central Military Commission (CMC). Although Hu may eventually assume real power, the outcome of the congress made clear that meaningful political succession remains at least five years away. In forcefully asserting his power, Jiang opens up questions about the degree to which political governance, particularly at the top of the system, has been institutionalized.

The Last Battle: Mao and the Internationalists’ fight for the Liberation Daily

1990 ◽  
Vol 123 ◽  
pp. 521-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Stranahan
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Central Committee ◽  
Mao Zedong ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Source Materials ◽  
Party Congress

Although scholars have examined the struggle between Mao Zedong and the Internationalists associated with Wang Ming and Bo Gu for control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in some detail, they have ignored the final battle between the two groups. That confrontation did not take place in the Central Committee or at the Seventh Party Congress in 1945. Rather, new source materials from the People's Republic and a close reading of the newspaper itself show that it took place in the Party's primary propaganda organ, the Liberation Daily (Jiefang ribao).

Hu Jintao: The Making of a Chinese General Secretary

2003 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 17-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Daniel Ewing
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Standing Committee ◽  
Martial Law ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Tiananmen Square ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
General Secretary ◽  
Party Congress

Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin's heir apparent, has risen to the elite levels of Chinese politics through skill and a diverse network of political patrons. Hu's political career spans four decades, and he has been associated with China's top leaders, including Song Ping, Hu Yaobang, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin. Though marked early as a liberal by his ties to Hu Yaobang, Hu Jintao's conservative credentials were fashioned during the imposition of martial law in Tibet in 1989. Those actions endeared him to the Beijing leadership following the 4 June Tiananmen Square crackdown, and his career accelerated in the 1990s. Young, cautious and talented, Hu catapulted to the Politburo Standing Committee, the vice-presidency and the Central Military Commission. Despite recent media attention, Hu's positions on economic and foreign policy issues remain poorly defined. As the 16th Party Congress approaches, Hu is likely to be preparing to become General Secretary of the Communist Party and a force in world affairs.

China in 2007: The Politics of Leadership Transition

Asian Survey ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Fewsmith
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Leadership Transition ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Development Concept ◽  
Scientific Development Concept ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
General Secretary ◽  
Party Congress

In 2007 China was dominated by politics, specifically the preparations and negotiations heading into the Seventeenth Party Congress, which was held in late October. General Secretary Hu Jintao was successful in having his ““scientific development concept”” written into the Chinese Communist Party Constitution but was not allowed to name his own successor.

Jiang Zemin's Successors: The Rise of the Fourth Generation of Leaders in the PRC

2000 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 1-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Central Committee ◽  
Fourth Generation ◽  
Third Generation ◽  
Standing Committee ◽  
Political Succession ◽  
People's Congress ◽  
Party Congress

Shortly after Jiang Zemin and his so-called “third generation of leaders” took over power from Deng Xiaoping and other revolutionary veterans, China began to face a new round of political succession. This is no surprise because Jiang is already 72 years old, and two other top leaders, Premier Zhu Rongji and Head of People's Congress Li Peng, are also in their early 70s. The average ages of members of the Standing Committee, Politburo and Secretariat of the 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) elected in 1997 are 65, 63 and 63 respectively. These three pivotal, hierarchical leadership organizations all consist of similar age groups. When the next Party congress convenes, these political bodies will be occupied by people with an average age of 68 to 70. This narrow age distribution among the top leadership may cause problems for political succession in the future.

Wang Jiaxiang, Mao Zedong and the ‘Triumph of Mao Zedong-Thought’ (1935–1945)

1989 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-727
Author(s):  
Thomas Kampen
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Mao Zedong ◽  
Power Struggles ◽  
Communist Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Tremendous Impact ◽  
Party Congress

While Mao Zedong might still be China's most famous communist, only scholars of the history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have heard of Wang Jiaxiang and even they have never studied his career in detail. But recent Chinese publications show that there were very few CCP leaders who had such a tremendous impact on the Chinese communist movement in general and Mao Zedong's career in particular. This article will show that Wang not only supported Mao during the power struggles of the 1930s and helped convince Stalin that Mao should be acknowledged as the CCP's leader, but that Wang also played a decisive role in establishing Mao Zedong-Thought as the Party's guiding ideology. The release of numerous Party documents in the last five years also throws some light upon the relations and conflicts between Mao Zedong and other CCP leaders such as Wang Ming, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Guotao and Liu Shaoqi in the decade between the Long March and the Seventh Party Congress of 1945.

scholarly journals Challenges against Xi Jinping: an ASEAN Perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Abdullah Dahana ◽  
Kelly Rosalin
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Mao Zedong ◽  
Deng Xiaoping ◽  
Xi Jinping ◽  
Power Struggle ◽  
Leadership Change ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
General Secretary

Since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 and Deng Xiaoping in 1997, factionalism and power struggle as the characteristic of leadership change in China has ended. Although factionalism still exists, it has been converted to collaboration among all factions within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The election of Xi Jinping to the presidency of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and to the position as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is therefore, as the result of cooperation among factions. This paper discusses various challenges, including nationalism as the most serious issue faced by Xi Jinping as a leader elected through compromise.

The Sixteenth Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party: Hu Gets What?

Asian Survey ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Cheng ◽  
Lynn White
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Central Committee ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Standing Committee ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Elite Selection ◽  
Over Time

This essay offers data about China's Central Committee, Politburo, and Standing Committee, e.g., turnover rates, generations, birthplaces, educations, occupations, ethnicities, genders, experiences, and factions. Past statistics demonstrate trends over time. Norms of elite selection can be induced from such data, which allow a broad-based analysis of changes in China's technocracy. New findings include evidence of cooperation among factions and swift promotions of province administrators.

Politburo Group Study Sessions: Is the Chinese Communist Party Becoming More Technocratic?

2012 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 45-52
Author(s):  
Gang CHEN
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Issues ◽  
Policy Making Process ◽  
Domestic Affairs ◽  
General Secretary

Since Hu Jintao became the General Secretary of the Party in 2002, the Party's Politburo has been convening monthly group study sessions conducted by professors and researchers. This indicates a change in China's policy-making process from strongman domination to consensus-seeking, through sharing information and discussions. Speakers lecture on domestic affairs and share developed countries' experience. Priority is given to economic issues, followed by political/ideological and social issues, and lastly, military issues and international relations.

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