History of the People's Republic of China 4/4: Encyclopedia II - History of the People's Republic of China 4/4 - The Fourth Generation of Leaders and the 16th CPC Congress

History of the People's Republic of China 4/4 - The Fourth Generation of Leaders and the 16th CPC Congress

In November 2002 Jiang Zemin stepped down from the powerful Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China to make way for a younger "fourth generation" of leadership led by Hu Jintao. Speculation remained, however, that Jiang would continue to wield significant influence. This speculation quickly subsided after Jiang voluntarily stepped down as Chairman of the Central Military Commission in September 2004, allowing Hu to take over all three top posts -- in control of the State, Party, and military. This marked the first time in the PRC that a power transfer was completed in peace.

It was believed at the time that six out of the nine new members of the powerful Standing Committee (Wu Bangguo, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Huang Ju, Wu Guanzheng, and Li Changchun) are close to Jiang's so-called "Shanghai clique." Hu is not associated with this "clique." The 22-member Politburo is elected by the Party's central committee. Real power in the PRC lies with this committee, which works as a kind of inner cabinet and groups together the country's most influential leaders. At the 2002 16th Party Congress, the Standing Committee was expanded to include nine members.

President Hu Jintao, a hydraulic engineer who graduated from China's prestigious Qinghua University, is believed to be highly intelligent and have a photographic memory. His career is remarkable for his rapid ascendancy to power, attributed to his moderate views and careful attention not to offend or alienate his older backers. He is the first party chief to have joined the Communist Party after the Revolution over 50 years ago. In his 50s, Hu was the youngest member by far of the then seven-member Standing Committee.

Since taking over as Party General Secretary, Hu Jintao has appeared to have an more egalitarian style than his predecessor. He has focused on sectors of the Chinese population which have been left behind by the economic reform, and has taken a number of high profile trips to the poorer areas of China with the stated goal of understanding these areas better.

Nevertheless, the effects of leadership differences should not be overstated. Within the top leadership of the PRC, there is widespread agreement that Chinese economic reform should continue and policy differences are confined to relatively minor matters.

History of the People's Republic of China 4/4 - SARS

Main article: Severe acute respiratory syndrome

In November 2002, a mysterious string of deaths, associated with the flu-like symptoms later known to be the SARS epidemic, took place in Guangdong. To stop the SARS panic, and to avoid possible economic damage and to preserve face and public confidence, local officials applied tight media control. Thus the international community failed to notice the existence of a new breed of deadly virus.

In early April, there appeared to be a change in official policy when SARS began to receive a much greater prominence in the official media. However, it was also in early April that accusations emerged regarding the undercounting of cases in Beijing military hospitals. After intense international pressure from individual countries, as well as the WHO, PRC officials allowed international officials to investigate the situation. In late April, major revelations came to light as the PRC government admitted to underreporting the number of cases due to the problems inherent in the health care system. A number of PRC officials were fired from their posts, including the health minister and mayor of Beijing, and systems were set up to improve reporting and control in the SARS crisis. The PRC government delivered an official apology for early slowness in dealing with the SARS epidemic. Chinese President Hu Jintao promised a total disclosure of SARS data and permitted WHO experts to examine the SARS cases.

This revealed major problems plaguing the aging mainland Chinese health care system, including increasing decentralization, bureaucratic red tape, and a lack of communication. In February, 2003, as the virus spread to other parts of mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan and Europe, the WHO issued a worldwide alert and many countries had barred the travels to and from China. Finally in July 2003, the WHO declared SARS contained, but warned the disease could emerge in next winter.

The openness in the latter stage of the SARS crisis showed an unprecedented stance in the central government's policies. In the past, rarely had officials stepped down purely because of administrative mistakes, there were never completely disclosure of classified data and no project in China had been under such international inspection. This change in policy has been largely credited to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. At the heart of the crisis, Hu made a high-profile trip to Guangdong and Wen ate lunch with students at Beijing University. Some analysts believe the crisis was a blow to former CPC chief Jiang Zemin, who stayed out of the national spotlight during its duration, and whose political allies, such as Health Minister Zhang Wenkang, were sacked.

History of the People's Republic of China 4/4 - Avian Flu

A contemporary crisis, one of the most accessible breeding spots of the Avian Flu outbreak is on Mainland China. While four other Southeastern Asian countries have reported cases of Avian Flu before China, the Chinese government began taking percautions not long after the SARS outbreak in 2003. Beijing has maintained a strict and transparent policy to gain back a reputation damaged heavily during the SARS outbreak. In October 2005, Premier Wen Jiabao issued a nationwide directive to heavily prosecute the officials who attempts the hiding of Avian Flu cases. Since then, over 10 cases of Avian Flu in humans have been reported on the Mainland, and the numbers are increasing each day.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The Fourth Generation of Leaders and the 16th CPC Congress", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki