The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : TRANSITION COMPLETE

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Monday, Sep 27, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

TRANSITION COMPLETE

WITH PRESIDENT HU Jintao taking over as Chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the process of leadership change in China that began two years ago is now complete. The 61-year-old leader succeeded Jiang Zemin as General Secretary of the party in November 2002 and five months later as President of the country. So long as Mr. Jiang retained control of the military, there appeared to be two power centres in China. The dual line of leadership gave rise to Western speculation of a power struggle in Beijing, especially because of the influence the military body wields. Elected by the party Central Committee, it sets military policy. The head of the CMC is also the commander-in-chief of the 2.8 million-strong People's Liberation Army. By stepping down from the post three years ahead of schedule, the 78-year-old former President did not entirely set at rest the rumours of differences between him and his successor. But he ensured a quiet and orderly transition from the third to the fourth generation of Communist leaders since 1949. President Hu, who has worked his way up the party hierarchy since joining it in the early 1960s, whose leadership potential was spotted by Deng Xiaoping two decades ago, is now the undisputed political numero uno of China.

Among China watchers, particularly in the West, the emergence of President Hu as the sole centre of authority is certain to rekindle the debate that began when he took over the reins of the party: is he a "moderate" or a "hardliner"? Thus far, Mr. Hu has not made himself available for such facile slotting. He has an agenda for reforms within the party, including plans to make the leadership more accountable to the people, but rejects Western-style democracy as a "dead end" for China. He coined the term "peaceful rise" to allay regional apprehensions about the massive modernisation programme for the military. He is known to be strongly committed to the "one China" policy. But most of all, President Hu has made it clear that his vision for China does not differ dramatically from that of his predecessor. Through the 13 years of his rule, Mr. Jiang guided the most populous country and the fastest-growing economy in the world along the lines of what he termed the "Three Represents": the development of the Chinese economy, protecting China's civilisational strengths, and protecting the interests of the "overwhelming majority" of the Chinese people. By his whole-hearted endorsement of these principles soon after taking over as head of the party and the state, his successor appears to have decided to keep to the same course, at least for now.

What does the consolidation of power by the new helmsman mean for India? There is no doubt he attaches great importance to developing relations with India. It was after Mr. Hu became President last year that Atal Bihari Vajpayee made his landmark visit to Beijing as Prime Minister. The forward-looking joint Declaration on Principles for Relations and Comprehensive Co-operation unfurled during that visit and the decision to resolve the boundary question at the highest political level gave new maturity to the bilateral relationship after the low of 1998. The vision contained in the Declaration can be realised if New Delhi, which too has a new leadership, and Beijing continue to build on the shared perceptions of their complementary strengths. This is important as much for building regional peace and stability and countering the unipolarity of the United States as for addressing the challenges and opportunities of development.

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