Jump to Navigation

Professor Susan Shirk Comments on Successor to China's President Hu Jintao

10/12/2007
Susan Shirk, Wall Street Journal Asia, Opinions

When the Chinese Communist Party's 17th National Congress opens on Monday, President Hu Jintao is certain to receive another five-year term as Party head. But the real nail-biter isn't Mr. Hu's tenure, but who will be positioned to succeed him in 2012. If the Congress can't settle on a single candidate, the fierce contest for power could blow the fragile regime wide open during the next five years.

Unlike previous rulers, Mr. Hu isn't a political strongman in the mold of Mao Zedong or Deng Xiaoping. He must broker a consensus among the present party leaders on whom to nominate ...

Click here for the full article.