This special issue1 focuses on Hu Jintao's first mandate in power, between the Sixteenth
and the Seventeenth Party Congress (2002-2007). It considers two intertwined issues …

Since the 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Xi Jinping has continued
to dominate the political stage. Having succeeded to abolish the two-term limit for the …

The recently held Sixteenth Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and the Tenth
National People's Congress signified a shift in power to the so-called “fourth generation” of …

Coming off the convocation of the 15th Party Congress, China started 1998 with reform
moving ahead full steam. This was manifested in a palpable relaxation of the intellectual …

After becoming General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in November 2002, Hu
Jintao surprised many observers by consolidating his power in a short period of time. There …

Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin's heir apparent, has risen to the elite levels
of Chinese politics through skill and a diverse network of political patrons. Hu's political …

Contrary to hopes expressed by both Chinese intellectuals and foreign observers that the
new Hu Jintao administration would be more open to political change and to freer …

Hu Jintao's power base has largely been centered in China's inland provinces rather than in
the country's coastal areas. For most of the past decade, Guangdong, one of the wealthiest …

B uilding a new political order has become the central theme of Chinese politics in post-
Deng China not a clearly defined goal of the Chinese leadership, but the direction that …

The fourth generation of leaders of the People''s Republic of China, while benefiting from the
prestige of China''s entry into the World Trade Organization and the honor of hosting the …