Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin is now set
for a Summit Meeting with President Bush at Crawford, Texas in
October. The Sixteenth Party Congress will likely now be held after
Jiang's visit to the U.S. Uncertainties abound regarding Jiang
Zemin's willingness to hand over the Party reins to heir-apparent
Hu Jintao, potential factional rifts within the Communist Party,
and influence of the People's Liberation Army in the event that
Jiang is successful in extending to a third term as General
Secretary. Of course, the conventional wisdom is that he will
step down as China's President. But Jiang's supporters in
Shanghai want the Chinese Constitution changed (for a sixth time)
to permit Jiang a third presidential term. And there are even
rumors Jiang wants to promote himself to Chairman of the Chinese
Communist Party. Jiang's continuation in power raises
questions about the direction of China's economic and political
reforms and the vitality of its leadership. Will Jiang prove a
Magnificent Mandarin or a Peking Lame Duck? What impact will
China's leadership succession have on U.S.-China
relations? Join some of America's top experts on
China's politics and diplomacy for a discussion of the Bush-Jiang
Summit at Crawford and future Chinese political developments.
More About the Speakers
Dr.
Joseph Fewsmith
Boston University
Dr. Carol Hamrin
George Mason University
Dr. Cheng Li
Woodrow Wilson Center
Mr.
John J. Tkacik, Jr.
The
Heritage Foundation
Hosted By
Larry Wortzel, Ph.D.
Visiting Fellow
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