Gu Suhua writes from Beijing: So the new Chinese Emperor is Xi Jinping. It was an open secret that he would succeed Hu Jintao as the top dog in the Communist Party which makes him the new leader of a nation with 1.3 billion people. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
Xi is now the Secretary General of the Party and is expected to become President soon. We know know that Xi is the new commander-in-chief of the Chinese armed forces.
There was a moment when Xi Jinping thought that something was not right when former leader Jiang Zemin took centre stage at 18th congress. He sat beside Hu Jintao and Xi. Xi has good military connections but there are not in the same league as Jiang’s. The new Emperor is thus under pressure in defence and foreign policy. Who is behind the present spat with Japan over those islands? Is Jiang using his influence to up the ante against the old enemy? If it came to push and shove whom would the military side with?
So the new Emperor has problems from day one. He belongs to a generation that did not participate in the victory of communist power in October 1949. The demand for Chinese good worldwide is declining.
Defining the problem is the easy part. Agreeing a solution is more difficult but the most difficult part of all is to force the solution through in the teeth of opposition. The other big unknown is the impact of the social media. The younger generation has the self-confidence to demand accountability from officials. One thing is certain, they cannot suppress criticism.
Presidents Jiang Zemin of China and Bill Clinton of the U.S. on September 11, 1999. U.S. government photo taken by David Scull. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Related articles
- China Unveils Xi Jinping As New Leader (news.sky.com)
- Xi Jinping: from princeling to president of China (thetimes.co.uk)
- Xi Jinping Is The New Emperor Of China. (stirringtroubleinternationally.com)
