Professor Susan Shirk Comments on Successor to China's President Hu Jintao
Oct 12, 2007
By 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 ...
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