CHINA/TAIWAN: People in Beijing hopeful for new leadership but mixed reaction in Taiwan and Hong Kong

Record ID: 838269

  • Title: CHINA/TAIWAN: People in Beijing hopeful for new leadership but mixed reaction in Taiwan and Hong Kong
  • Date: 15th November 2012
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM AT BEIJING FOREIGN STUDIES UNIVERSITY ZHAN JIANG SAYING: "A positive change is that the number of members on the Standing Committee has decreased. This really could allow Xi Jinping to have more authority. At the same time, it also means that the leaders of organisations which have received a lot of criticism in the past like the Propaganda Department and the Central Politics and Law Commission are no longer members of the Standing Committee, so it's fair to say that the power of these two organisations has been restricted. I think this is positive." ZHAN'S HAND ON REMOTE CONTROL
  • Embargoed: 30th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Taiwan, Province of China, China
  • City:
  • Country: Taiwan
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAD66EDZS24QGDMBFWDC4VU1QPA
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Chinese diners and an analyst reacted on Thursday (November 15) to China's new leadership line-up which will steer the world's second-largest economy for the next five years, with Vice President Xi Jinping taking over from outgoing President Hu Jintao as party chief.
    Xi was also named head of the party's Central Military Commission, state news agency Xinhua said.
    The other new members of the Politburo Standing Committee, which has been reduced to seven from nine, includes Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli.
    Meng Qingyang, a financial consultant in Beijing who watched the unveiling on live television over lunch, said he hoped the new leadership would be able to handle the challenges in store for China.
    "Currently in China, including its national economy, politics, and other international factors, there are a lot of uncertainties, so you could say that it faces unprecedented challenges. So for instance, whoever assumes leadership out of the seven members of the Standing Committee, the kind of policies they will implement, the path they will lead China along for the next five years - these are very important for China's upcoming development," he said.
    Insurance claims officer Wu Lijun said she had confidence in the country's new president and premier.
    "Before this they spent time serving in the roles of the country's vice president and vice premier. Because they were selected, we have high expectations for them to continue to lead us in a forward direction. Ultimately, we also faith in them," she said.
    The standing committee - the innermost circle of power in China's authoritarian government - has as expected been cut to seven members from nine, which should ease consensus building and decision making.
    Zhan Jiang, professor of international journalism at Beijing's Foreign Studies University, said the smaller size could give Xi the authority he will need to push through reforms and could also reduce the power of the country's domestic security apparatus.
    "A positive change is that the number of members on the Standing Committee has decreased. This really could allow Xi Jinping to have more authority. At the same time, it also means that the leaders of organisations which have received a lot of criticism in the past like the Propaganda Department and the Central Politics and Law Commission are no longer members of the Standing Committee, so it's fair to say that the power of these two organizations has been restricted. I think this is positive," he said.
    Zhan stressed, however, that much power would still be exercised from behind the scenes by elders including now-President Hu Jintao and former president Jiang Zemin, who placed himself at the centre of the Party Congress's opening last week.
    Jiang and others were disappointed by the absence of two senior leaders with strong reform credentials who were believed to be strong contenders for the Standing Committee -- Guangdong party boss Wang Yang and party organisation head Li Yuanchao.
    Wang in particular lobbied for social and political reform and earned a reputation as a beacon of reform in the West.
    "Those who supported Wang Yang will feel disappointed, because he really does represent the most open, pro-reform voice and power there is within the Communist Party, so they really will feel disappointed. Also he is young, which is an important factor. But I believe that those who support Wang Yang will continue to support him, and he still has hope five years from now," said Zhan, referring to the 19th Party Congress due to take place in 2017.
    With growing public anger and unrest over everything from corruption to environmental degradation, Xi and his colleagues may make cautious efforts to answer calls for more political reform, though few expect a move towards full democracy.
    Residents in the Taiwanese capital were hoping for continued cross-strait peace after China's change of leadership on Thursday (November 15).
    Inside a restaurant in Taipei, local residents watched live broadcast of China's leadership announcement.
    "To tell the truth, Xi Jinping has just assumed office, we are not very clear of his policy, direction and style, but after all I think he should be following Hu Jintao's direction, because the cross-strait relation has been good so far, and he should follow through. That's the best way," said 52-year-old Lin Yong-ching.
    Twenty-four-year-old Shen Bao-cheng said he hoped Xi's familiarity with Taiwanese businessmen from his time in Fujian will help improve Taiwan's economy.
    "Xi Jinping has good relations with the Taiwanese businessmen, so I hope Taiwan's economy will improve," he said.
    China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province since the civil war in 1949, and vowed to take it back by force if necessary.
    But cross-strait ties has significantly improved since the Nationalist Party's Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, and the two sides has signed a series of trade agreements.
    Hu Jintao suggested that China and Taiwan set up military security confidence-building mechanism and pushed for a peace agreement in his keynote report last week during the opening ceremony of the Congress.
    In Hong Kong too some shoppers watched the leadership proceedings on large television screens at the city's busiest mall.
    China analyst Willy Lam said one unexpected event was that Xi Jinping had taken over as chairman of the Central Military Commission and Commander in Chief as well which could be significant.
    "Well, Xi Jinping has many good friends amongst the generals. So it's possible that, in order to consolidate his power quickly, Xi Jinping might push harder line on foreign military policy. So we expect, perhaps, possible military confrontation with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam over sovereignty disputes concerning the islands in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," said Lam.
    Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule, enjoys a high degree of autonomy. But Beijing has resisted public pressure for full democracy and has kept strong influence in politics, the media and education.
    Hong Kong resident, Jacob Wood, said he was not worried about any change to the status quo.
    I don't think so because Hong Kong is very important for the China. They want (it) to be the showcase for the western countries, western world as well as for the Taiwan. So as long as Taiwan is still there, Hong Kong is safe," said Wood.
    China has long hoped to use the Hong Kong and Macau model of "one country, two systems" to entice Taiwan. Both territories are officially part of China, but given a high degree of autonomy, including a largely free media.
    But China essentially appoints leaders for Hong Kong and Macau, with a degree of democracy. Taiwan is unwilling to give up choosing its leaders after a long struggle for free elections.
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