[Marxism] PRC: "Let us now praise Hu Jintao"

["Sukant Chandan" <sukant.chandan@xxxxxxxxx>]

<http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IG27Ad01.html>

SPEAKING FREELY

Let us now praise Hu Jintao
By Michael Chang

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows
guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you
are interested in contributing.

When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held its 14th
National Congress in 1992, among other things, it duly
elected the so-called third-generation leaders to fill the
then-seven-member Standing Committee of the Politburo, the
real power center that rules China.

As suggested by Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader of
China at the time, Hu Jintao was elected into the Politburo
Standing Committee. At the age of 50, Hu became the
youngest member elevated to the Standing Committee, with
the full understanding that he would eventually succeed
Jiang Zemin when the latter retired.

Hu's elevation to national prominence was greeted
throughout China with puzzlement. The question, "Who is Hu
Jintao?" instantly dominated conversations inside and
outside the government apparatus, but few had answers.

For the next 11 years, Hu served in different capacities,
each with increasing duties and responsibilities, seemingly
going through a tailor-made training program for this
future supreme leader. But he largely remained a shadow
behind Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin. Rarely were his
pictures or activities conspicuously displayed on Chinese
news media, let alone printed and reported outside China.
In the eyes of the Chinese people, Hu was a non-entity.

Few people expected that Hu would actually succeed Jiang,
especially after Deng passed away in early 1997. Since he
was not a member of the so-called "Shanghai clique" headed
by Jiang, it was thought that Hu would more likely be eased
out of the Politburo Standing Committee after Deng's death,
a typical political power play in the communist-style
regime to get rid of one's potential challenger.

But not only did Hu manage to crush plot after plot to
derail his political future, but also made steady progress
inside as well as outside of the Standing Committee, lining
up support, especially among the party's elder statesmen,
for his eventual takeover when Jiang retired. In 2002, he
smoothly succeeded Jiang as the CCP's new general secretary
in the 16th Party Congress, and subsequently was dispatched
to visit the White House, signaling to the world that Jiang
would completely retire soon and Hu was ready to take over
the helm.

A catch phrase of "who is who (Hu)" was circulated during
his US visit, as the news media there tried to size him up
without a success. After his visit, Hu remained a political
enigma in the eyes of the US public.

On March 15, 2003, Jiang passed the state presidency to Hu
without the slightest opposition, though Jiang did not give
up his last but very powerful post as chairman of the CCP's
Central Military Commission (CMC) until September 2004.

If the entire world was frozen at that particular date, Hu
had already made history in China: rarely in the long and
treacherous history of the country had a peaceful transfer
of power taken place without bloodshed. In addition, the
fact that Hu was able to thwart every plot imaginable
against him during his 11 years as heir-in-the-waiting was
a tremendous achievement itself.

How Hu managed to persuade Jiang and his Shanghai clique to
hand over the powerful posts of CCP general secretary in
2002, president of People's Republic of China in 2003, and
chairman of the CMC in 2004 is a testimony to his
perseverance, determination, discipline, shrewdness, and
political agility.

When he first took over the helm in 2003, the Chinese
people as well as the rest of the world had no clue of the
man, his political ideas, domestic agenda, foreign
policies, ruling style, and so on. Up to that time he had
left almost no trails to be analyzed as a base to predict
his future directions. He is a man of few empty words,
preferring to let actions speak for him.

Between 2003 and the present, Hu has piled up tens of
thousands of impressive kilometers of travel, more than any
of his predecessors within the same time period.
Domestically, he visited hundreds of remote villages, small
towns, construction sites, military bases and
installations, schools, local governments, hospitals, and
community centers.

He mingled well with peasants, factory workers, retirees
and students. He has been called "elder brother Hu" by
millions of Chinese Internet users, a nickname denoting a
strong sense of camaraderie and bonding; it is a genuine
rarity in Chinese politics that the nation's president can
be identified as a "brother".

Internationally, Hu has paid state visits to several dozen
countries, lavishly doling out economic assistance without
strings attached, signing trade agreements based on mutual
needs, and offering technical assistance, especially in
infrastructure construction, without getting involved in
local politics. In some poor countries, especially on the
Africa continent, he was hailed as a new descending
"messiah".

Under Hu's administration, ably complemented by Premier Wen
Jiabao, the reputation of China has soared to new heights.
Never before in the history of mankind has a nation been
under such tight scrutiny and attention by the rest of the
world community, targeted for international intrigues and
plots, mingled with jealousy, propaganda, innuendo, and
outright lies about the Hu-Wen government, its policies,
directions, and accomplishments.

The US press in general has been unfairly critical of Hu,
often with biased reporting and commentaries. Last year,
the Wall Street Journal ran an article describing Hu as
weak, indecisive, and a shallow head of state at best. Yet
the Hu-Wen government is riding high in popularity, with a
more than 80% approval rate in China.

Under Hu's government, China's foreign-currency reserve has
exceeded the US$1 trillion mark, never achieved by any
other nation on Earth. Furthermore, last year, China hosted
an African summit and a Southeast Asian conference, with
more than 50 heads of state attending. Even in its heyday,
the US couldn't muster such an awesome display of prestige.
It makes one wonder what the author of the article in the
Wall Street Journal has to say this time around.

Let's carefully examine Hu's achievements for the past four
years, to appreciate this unique and gifted
once-in-lifetime politician. What has separated him from
his predecessors and contemporaries around the world are as
follows:

The SARS crisis. Severe acute respiratory syndrome broke
out in China in 2003, shortly after Hu succeeded Jiang. At
the outset, China was seemingly unprepared for the
epidemic, and was accused by the World Health Organization
of willfully underreporting SARS cases. Hu swiftly replaced
China's minister of health, Zhang Yongkang - a Jiang
protege - along with Beijing mayor Meng Xuenong, Hu's own
man, and put the nation's resources toward the national
effort to fight SARS.

The Hong Kong political crisis. In 2003, the Hong Kong
government endeavored to pass anti-sedition legislation in
the face of massive opposition from Hong Kong people. The
Chinese central government publicly voiced its support for
chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, but quietly worked toward
his removal from the office. The legislation was withdrawn,
the chief executive replaced, protests died down, normalcy
returned. Many believed that the entire crisis was handled
with dexterity and thoroughness, typical of Hu's quiet
style. Hu remains a popular figure in Hong Kong today.

The Anti-Secession Law. China's strategy for confronting
Taiwan's independence movement has long been a show of
force through military exercises held when there was a
presidential election to be held in Taiwan. Time and again,
military intimidation had produced the exact opposite
effect, resulting in the ultimate victory of the Democratic
Progressive Party, diehard advocates of ultimate
independence.

The Hu-Wen government swiftly adjusted its strategy shortly
after taking over the helm. The Anti-Secession Law was
enacted in 2005. It stipulates that China reserves the
right to use force to prevent de jure independence but also
states that as long as Taiwan doesn't declare independence,
it won't be attacked by the mainland. This is a stance
consistent with the United States' national interest and
that of the rest of the the world community.

As a result, whenever Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian
provokes the mainland by announcing an intent to hold a
referendum for independence, by applying for United Nations
membership or by amending the existing constitution to
change Taiwan's official name, it also becomes the
responsibility of the US, often assisted by the European
Union and the UN, to do the necessary damage control, not
just China alone.

Maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is
something China can live with comfortably for the time
being, while it continues to modernize its military
capabilities and sustain its economic growth. No doubt, in
the opinion of this author, the Hu-Wen government deserves
high marks for implementing this brilliant strategy.

Harmonious society. As a result of recent years' rapid
economic growth, especially in the coastal provinces, the
gap between the rich and the poor in China has widened to
an alarming degree, bringing disorder, corruption, street
crime, and environmental hazards with no relief in sight.
Concluding that some drastic actions have to be taken
before the very foundation of the nation was eroded, the
Hu-Wen government in 2004, among other things, introduced
the concept of harmonious society and called for a national
moral restoration. This is a long-term process and it may
take decades before its effects can be felt.

International standing. Under Hu's and Wen's leadership,
China's international standing has reached a new plateau,
winning new friends and admirers. Its status as a
responsible stakeholder has been certified time and again,
as evidenced by its leading role in handling of the North
Korean crisis, by its lavish but prudent investments and
economic assistance on the African continent, and by its
dominance in consumer-goods production for the entire
world, the US in particular, enabling the latter to control
otherwise rampaging inflation.

China has earned the title of worldwide infrastructure
builder, making its industrial-power presence felt around
world. These are by no means small achievements, and they
came into full fruition only within the past few years.
Attacks by the West on China's religious persecution and
human-rights violations are declining, replaced by the
persistent rumors and innuendos of China's military threat
to the world and the US in particular, and by China's
overtaking the US as the leading economic power by 2020.

The inevitability of that is, of course, subject to
speculation and interpretation, but the facts remain that
the Hu-Wen government has fundamentally changed the world's
view on China and changed the world as well, something that
is truly unprecedented in the history of mankind.

Firmly in control There is no denying that Hu has his share
of critics and detractors, especially within China, who
constantly plot for his sudden downfall. Yet to the
consternation of his foes, he remains immensely popular
among Chinese people. Thanks to the advent of the Internet
age, his successes as well as failures since he took over
the helm are an open book that has been fully exposed for
scrutiny not only by the Chinese people but also by the
whole world. Adding up the pluses and minuses of his
administration, its totality is still mighty impressive and
will definitely put the rest of the world to shame.

On the eve of the CCP's 17th National Congress, rumors flew
portraying the Hu-Wen government as being in an intensive
internal dogfight to control the meeting. These are
unsubstantial stories, aimed at creating political
instability in China. Yet all indications point to the
contrary, that Hu and Wen are in firm control of the
agendas and directions for the next five years and possibly
beyond, reflecting the will of the Chinese people to award
a second five-year term for a job well done.

Michael Chang was born in Shanghai and grew up in Taiwan.
He earned a master of business administration degree from
San Francisco State University. He is owner/president of
General Realty and Investment Inc in California. He can be
reached at mttchang@...

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows
guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you
are interested in contributing.

(Copyright 2007 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.
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republishing.)

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