Word: deng
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...very real dangers of anarchy, and while the Chinese now want to concentrate on private concerns, they want to do so amid political stability and public order. That allows the regime to maintain a degree of authoritarianism quite abhorrent to Westerners. Jiang and his cohort can probably maintain Deng's dual system of economic progress and political rigidity as long as people's material expectations are being...
...critical indicator to watch is any "reversal of verdicts" on the Tiananmen Square massacre. Ever since that debacle, the regime has declared it the justified suppression of a counterrevolutionary riot by a bunch of hooligans. As long as Deng was alive, no official revisions were possible. But many wonder whether the new leadership will make a bow to all those pressing for political liberalization by changes in the official attitude toward that traumatizing event...
...Deng's famous proclamation is usually interpreted as a defense of pragmatism. But it can just as easily be applied to his idea of leadership: not a cult of personality but a test of efficiency. The bottom-line challenge for his chosen heir, Jiang Zemin, is to prove he can carry on Deng's pragmatic work...
...until Deng's passing, Jiang & Co. had been able to wrap themselves in the mantle of the great man's authority. Now Jiang must cement his own claim to it, and many wonder if he has the strength and charisma to sustain a cohesive leadership or the moral and political pre-eminence to dominate his rivals and his country. He has shown growing self-confidence and has managed to consolidate his base more successfully than anticipated; he is unlikely to be challenged right away as party or national boss...
...only first among equals, and, says Winston Lord, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, "he can't just issue edicts. He has to marshal a consensus." That consigns him to continuity and caution rather than bold decision making in the manner of Deng. One day after the Paramount Leader's death, Jiang issued a statement promising to turn "grief into strength" in "unswerving" pursuit of Deng's policies. The process already in place dictates avoiding radical shifts in economic and political policy at home and minimizing the chances of miscalculation abroad...