Chinese regime leader Hu Jintao has warned corruption could be fatal to the Communist Party. Delivering his speech to the 18th Party Congress, the outgoing General Secretary also said political reform is important and must be actively carried out.
But the speech on reform may just be empty talk. Hu reiterated the Communist Party’s intention to maintain its dictatorial rule, and shutting the door on any kind of multi-party governance.
Democracy activist Tang Baiqiao says as long as the Communist Party remains unwilling to give up power, no significant reform can take place.
[Tang Baiqiao, Democracy Activist]:
“If they want to protect the Party, and the special interest groups, the public would not be satisfied, and they would not be able to carry out any reform.”
China analyst, Professor Zhang Tianliang says the steps needed for political reform would open existing and former leaders up to public scrutiny—something they want to avoid.
[Professor Zhang Tianliang, Senior China Analyst]:
“If they lift the ban on forming political parties, lift the ban on the press, there will be a group that will emerge to defeat the Communist Party. The Party would never give up its power, because it’s not only a means to gain interest, more importantly, they want to protect themselves, so the crimes they have committed will not be scrutinized or put on trial.”
Hu’s call for reform comes as he and other leaders are preparing to hand over power to a new generation of rulers. There have been calls on incoming Party chief Xi Jinping to undertake both political and economic reforms, in order to move the regime through current challenges.
Senior China analyst Heng He tells NTD it will be difficult for any individual leader to bring about change. That’s because competing factions will want to ensure their interests are protected.
[Heng He, Senior China Analyst]:
“It’s impossible to set and execute any given reform plan. It’s not a task for one person, not even a Central Committee member, or a Politburo Standing Committee member. I think the biggest problem is that [the leaders] can talk about reform, but they can’t actually carry it out.”
The once-a-decade power transfer comes as the Communist regime faces a slew of challenges. These include tense diplomatic and trade ties and a rising legitimacy crisis at home. The week-long Party Congress will conclude next Thursday with the announcement of new leaders and a five year plan for the regime.
