On the Wall Street Journal blog, Russell Leigh Moses writes about a recent speech by Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao’s designated successor at the Central Party School, which was notable for its lack of boldness:
It’s common practice for Chinese leaders-in-waiting to fly under the radar. Getting out in front in Chinese politics usually gets one shoved to the back. But with an unusual political storm brewing on the horizon, it’s not clear that continuing to taxi on the political tarmac is the wisest choice for Xi and the others in line to take up leadership positions next year.
In a certain sense, Xi’s caution is understandable and perhaps brilliant, especially as recent weeks have exposed further challenges to hard-won stability in China: problems in governance, uncertainty in the financial system, and the way ethnic relations are playing out in some regions.
Thus far it seems unlikely that these difficulties will translate into widespread discontent. There’s certainly not much evidence of panic in the upper echelons of the Communist Party. Instead, different groups continue to promote their own positions as the right and ready means of securing order and legitimacy.
As a result of that jockeying, there are many lively policy debates flying around the Party – and this is where the landscape gets tricky for Xi and company.
Read more about Xi Jinping and the 5th generation of CCP leaders via CDT.
