The next generation of Chinese leader are unveiled.

Well this might get political, but do you guys think that the style in which Chinese leadership is chosen can be superior than Western elected style of leadership selection?

I mean in West, let's take US for example, which everyone consider to be a successful. Lets ignore fail democracy such as India, Philippine etc...

I mean in US, election is mainly determined base on you good can you perform in front of the camera, how popular you can make speech, mobilized the media, attack your opponent, which is almost like a sport. So in the end I feel like whoever gets elected does not reflect the true capability of that person itself. For example Obama only had 1 term of senate experience in congress, he was never in charge of any direct governing of a place such as a city, a country or state. In the end, he still got elected when we are in a deep recession, and many people agree that he got elected is mostly due to Hispanics and minorities which he promised irrigation reform etc... Just like when Romney said he gives people gifts.

In China, there is no election, but if you look at the background of all 7 people, all of them have experiences in charge of governorship of a city, a province and through out their life they have hold many other offices. And just like plawolf said about Bo Xi Lai scandal http://www.sinodefenceforum.com/members-club-room/how-bad-corruption-china-3-6217.html#post213647 that the bad apple will eventually get taken out, because all insiders are keep tracking of each other's sins, so if anyone gets too out of line there will be no chance for them to advance too much in leadership roles.

There is also the problem of US is too depended on ideology, I see US politics is very much divided between democrats vs republican, they debate and vote in congress almost exclusively base on party line. But in the end, it is the same corporation and special interest that makes donation for both party to get elected and reelected. I don't see the Chinese leadership fight base on ideology, maybe they do, but they don't talk about it and base on the past 10 years, we don't have any evidence they have ideology disputes, maybe Bo Xi lai is the only example. The only infighting between Chinese leadership for each other trying to expose each's dirty laundry. I get the impression that they fight for the sake of power and position rather than fight for ideology, that means all of them don't have much different view on how to run the economy, foreign affairs, they are just trying to be the leader and protect their assets when they step down from office. But that might result in another problem of politics gets too personalized in China, which would result in the leadership focus on to much infighting rather than governing the nation, this is not the case right now, but it would be a potential to devolve into that.

Then there is the problem of decision making, I think the Chinese leadership of small group of people have much quicker turn around time on decision making and changing the course Vs that of US, where a bill can get stuck in congress for months and get debated on forever by both parties, so that when it actually passes, it would be either too late, too watered down from the initial proposal, dott-frank is the best example, just 123 of the 398 total regulations established under Dodd-Frank have been implemented, and the wall street lobbyist are out on full force right now fighting for every single line in the bill. I think in the time of 21th century in this extremely rapid changing world, a smaller and quicker decision making is better for the nation.

And lastly there is political influence towards the decision makers. I see in US there lobbying industry is a huge business, interest groups spend billions of dollars on lobbyist, which most of them are lawyers and former congressman. And they would often succeed, and what is good for the business they represent, is often bad for the good of public. And those lobbying groups goes far beyond just lobbying with personal relationship in congress, they very much take advantage of the ignorance of the public, and start direct media camping to influence the people's opinions. The most successful example is when over 97% of the climate scientist believe man made global warming is real, but over 50% of the population believe it is fake, that it is some kind of conspiracy for big government or whatever. On this the situation is different in China, because obviously lobbying is not legalized there, but this does not rule out personal lobbying directed toward the Chinese leadership, where corporation and special interests would go directly to the Politburo members to argue against reform or policy good for themselves while bad for the public. On the other hand, they won't have problem of special interest groups that goes behind the back of the government to influence the people's opinion to try to directly to put pressure on the government to support their causes. But it is very possible for the top leadership to be corrupted from the direct lobbying. So I would give this one a toss up.

Do you agree? Disagree? If so why? I'm interested for hearing both side of story.

I feel the election system of picking leaders has good intentions but it evolved into a huge lobbyist and special interests groups. It puts accountability on the line, but only a small margin of it. In the end the candidate will go back to his/her administrative team and specialist to do what's best for the nation ACCORDING to what they know from listening to interests groups and lobbyists.

The Chinese one works differently in that there different schools of thought as to where the Communist party should be heading. This group will agree or disagree according to what's best for the nation with ALL top members sat down and go over the details.

Both systems has their share of the good, the bad, and the ugly in their governmental system. In the end it all comes down to how good are the leaders are working together as a team for the nation.

An alternate point of view.

I'm sure Hu is fairly happy with how he and his proteges are positioned after this election.

They made sure to emphasize that the goal of the day was anti-corruption, hardly a popular topic among bureaucrats. It would be as if the an US candidate campaigned on anti-lobbying, good luck on that one, and you've pretty much closed all doors after your term IF you happen to win.

Hu is considered by liberal, but has given more power to and found support among state enterprises, where most of the corruption occur, having his faction take the helm during this time would severely damage his relationship with supporters.
Xi on the other hand finds his roots with private enterprises, and would have a much freer hand, he might make upset some people but it hardly matters and will strengthen his relationship with his own supporters.

In other words, Hu has found himself in a situation where he can't easily take the country further, passing it on to Xi just makes sense, and as many have mentioned he's already paved the way for the next election.

airsuperiority said:

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An alternate point of view.

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Totally wrong Xi is not Gorbachev for sure he has a populism streak in him but he also want to see strong China with powerful military

Here is his populist side/ I never remember Chinese President line up to buy food in restaurant normally they are aloof remote from the people like the emperor of yesteryear


Xi Jinping's steamed bun meal causes ripple effect

Staff Reporter
2013-12-31
10:16 (GMT+8)

Xi Jinping enjoys his buns, Dec. 28. (Internet photo)

The meal Xi Jinping ate at Beijing's Qingfeng Steamed Dumpling Shop on Dec. 28. (Internet photo)

A dumpling house in Beijing has become the hottest restaurant in town following a visit by Chinese president and Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, who has sent China's blogosphere into overdrive with theories speculating on hidden meanings behind the seemingly innocent meal.

Chinese microblogs went into meltdown on Dec. 28 after netizens uploaded photos of Xi Jinping lining up and paying for his own meal at the Beijing outlet of the Qingfeng Steamed Dumpling Shop. Xi's order of six pork buns and a plate of stewed chitterlings (pork intestines) and vegetables — valued at just 21 yuan (US$3.50) — has since become the most popular set meal at the shop, with most customers simply asking for "what President Xi had."

The restaurant has been packed out with customers since news of Xi's visit went viral, with lines of around 40 people at all times ensuring at least a half-hour wait. Eight or nine chefs can be seen making buns around the clock in the shop's glass kitchen, with one chef telling reporters that he has never seen anything like it and that he does not even have the time to use the bathroom.

The table and chair Xi used during his visit have also been removed by the shop's owner and will be kept as collectors items.

Store manager He Yuanli said when she delivered garlic and chili sauce to Xi during his meal he asked her where the ingredients came from and whether they were safe to consume. After she showed him photos of the factory on her smartphone and assured him of the ingredients' quality, Xi reportedly said, "Food safety is most important. People eating at ease is what concerns me the most."

When waiters asked Xi whether he would like some complimentary dishes or beverages the president reportedly replied that they only needed to serve what he ordered.

Netizens have scrutinized every aspect of Xi's steamed bun meal, saying that lining up and paying for such a cheap meal himself is sending a signal that the president wants all Chinese officials to avoid special privileges and excess, while his comments to the store manager suggest that a new food safety campaign could be imminent.



Here is the more confidence and strong leader he intend to project . This is first time I see that Chinese prez doesn't use cliche word of "we are backward and way behind the west"


Xi Jinping preparing the PLA for war: Xinhua commentary


The large-scale military exercise — dubbed "Mission Action 2013" — involving 40,000 soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in October was personally approved by Chinese president Xi Jinping to prepare his troops in the event of war, according to a strongly-worded commentary published Saturday on the website of China's official Xinhua news agency.

The long-winded 7,500-word piece said Xi, who also heads the Communist Party and is chairman of the Central Military Commission, has repeatedly emphasized the goal of building a strong army since ascending to power at the 18th National Congress last November — a goal which has become more important since that time due to major changes in China's international strategic situation and its national security situation. These include rising tensions with Japan over the Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan) in the East China Sea, strained relations with the unpredictable North Korea, concerns over the increased US military presence in the Asia Pacific, and a slate of violent incidents at home involving ethnic minorities which have been labeled "terrorist" attacks.

During a visit to Guangzhou, the capital of southern Guangdong province, to witness a naval exercise last December, Xi told his troops of his dream of rejuvenating the "great Chinese nation," which he said cannot be achieved without a powerful army with Chinese characteristics.

The commentary said it was important to develop the country's military through proper propaganda and education, the clarification of ideas and implementing strategies in every aspect of army building in a realistic and pragmatic manner. The PLA must persevere to modernize as well as expand and strengthen its military strategies to deepen preparations for potential conflict to ensure that the troops are ready if called upon not only to fight, but to win, the article added.

Noting that the pivotal third plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee last month is incorporating national security and military reforms into China's overall reform strategy, the commentary said that the fundamental goal of the reforms is to increase the efficiency and battle-readiness of the military. Major goals of the reforms include fully bringing China's military into the information age, revamping the command system for joint combat, and reforming the leadership structure.

Other reform goals include optimizing the size and structure of the army, adjusting and improving the proportion between various troops, and reducing non-combat institutions and personnel.

The commentary highlighted a number of Xi's visits to various PLA military zones across the country over the past year, saying that it illustrates his affection and care for the troops. In particular, Xi visited the Beijing Military Region on Aug. 1 this year to celebrate the founding of the PLA, and two months later personally oversaw "Mission Action 2013," the large-scale joint military exercise in which 40,000 troops maneuvered over 30,000 kilometers by road, rail, sea and air to test the logistic capabilities of the PLA in real war situations.

To demonstrate that he is serious about reforming China's military, Xi has also included high-ranking PLA officers in his ongoing anti-corruption sweep, increased supervision of PLA activities and cut down on excess and extravagance within the army, the article said.

Gorbie gets a bad rap as he more or less nailed the coffin of the USSR shut.

Has anyone been following the recent developments on Zhou Yongkang? I have only been able to get fragments so far. Most of the reports in google come from FLG sources, which I don't even bother on clicking.