Death of Factions within the Chinese Communist Party?
May 20 (China Brief/by Willy Lam): On the surface, the falloff in factional bickering could render the CCP more united and better placed to tackle the tough challenges of the 21st century. Yet, the death of the cliquish in-fighting—at least as far as key ideological and political issues are concerned—carries inherent risks for China’s political future.
Given the indefinite moratorium imposed on political liberalization, the diminution of checks and balances within the party’s top echelons could result in the authoritarian regime becoming even more isolated from the masses’ aspirations. So far, the most tangible result of the consensus within the Hu-led Politburo is the no-holds-barred suppression of “disharmonious” voices in the community.
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Note: The writer is a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation; an Adjunct Professor of China studies at Akita International University, Japan; and at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.