Abstract
The transition of the old and the new used to be a critical problem which had not been settled properly by the Chinese Communist Party in quite a long time. The transition experienced a evolution from failure to success; from setback to smooth; from non-institutionalized to institutionalized; from individual successor chosen by individual leader to successor leadership group chosen by leadership group, and thus formed a central leadership group transition mechanism with Chinese characteristics.
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- 1.
Deng Xiaoping: Seize the Opportunity to Develop the Economy, Dec. 24, 1990, Selected works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol. 3, p. 365.
- 2.
Hu Angang: Analyze the Success of China from the Aspect of Political System, National Report, Jan. 24th 2011.
- 3.
Hu Angang: China: Political Restructuring with the Purpose to Boost the Economic Development, Dec. 1998, published in Hu Angang: Development Prospect of China, p. 88–89, Zhejiang People’s Publishing House, Hangzhou, 1999.
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News of the Communist Party of China, quoted from General Review of the Communist Party of China: http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/17146975.html Mao Zedong has discussion with Zhou Enlai and Wang Hongwen who were presenting the summary of the fourth National People’s Congress preparation for several times in the late of December 1974, during these discussions he praised Deng as “a rare talent” with “thorough political thought”.
- 5.
The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau is set up in 1927 and renamed as Secretariat of the Central Committee in 1934, then recover the name of Standing Committee of the Political Bureau in 1956.
- 6.
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- 7.
Deng Xiaoping pointed out that the phenomenon of power over concentration occur under the situation of enhance the centralized leadership of the Party, and the power centralized into the committee of the Party in a improper manner and without analysis, the power of committee would be performed by certain number of secretaries in most cases, particularly the general secretary. Everything would up to the command and decision of general secretary. The centralized party leadership would change into individual leadership in most cases. This is a common problem occurred in various levels of leadership over the country. It is inevitable to cause bureaucratism, make mistakes, affect the democratic life, group leadership, democratic centralism, division of responsibility of the Party and governments in various levels when the power is over concentrated in individual or minority people, the majority has little right to decision while the minority holds excessive power. This phenomenon is related with the feudal autocracy in our history as well as the tradition of power highly centralized to the individual leader of the Party. Deng Xiaoping: Revolution of the leading system in the Party and country (Aug. 18th, 1980), Selected works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol. 2, People’s Publishing House, Beijing, 1994.
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- 10.
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Deng Xiaoping discussed with the former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau who visited China in July 1990: I started to consider about the changeover issue, however it was until last year (1989) that the changeover completed. Please refer to Chronicle of Deng Xiaoping (1975–1997) (Vol. 2) composed by the Party Literature Research Center of the Central Committee, p. 1318, Central Literature Press, Beijing, 2004.
Deng Xiaoping pointed out that there were two General Secretaries who qualified in the election but made mistakes. We made the right election, but they made mistakes on the four fundamental principles and fell down. The core of the four fundamental principles is the leadership of party and socialism. The contrast of four fundamental principles is bourgeois liberalization. I emphasized times in recent year that we should insist on four fundamental principles and fight against bourgeois liberalization, but they refused to accept the advice. Zhao Ziyang was disclosed in this turmoil as he stood for the turmoil and attempt to disrupt the country. Deng Xiaoping: We are Confident to Perform Better in China, Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol. 3, p. 324, People’s Publishing House, Beijing, 1993.
- 12.
This is from the speech made by Mao Zedong on the second preparation session on the 8th National Congress of CPC: Regarding the Election of the Central Committee in the 8th National Congress.
- 13.
Mao Zedong: Five Requirements on the Successor of the Proletarian Revolution Cause is quoted from the speech made by Mao Zedong in the central committee conference held from May 15 to June 17 1964. The book On Revolution Education by Mao Zedong was reviewed by Mao Zedong before publication.
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- 17.
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- 19.
By the end of 2011, it is shown in the data from Organization Department of Central Committee that the total of CPC member has reached 82.602 million (please see to the link http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2012/0701/c1001-18417196.html). The Democratic Party in US is the second largest one in the world with total of 43.14 million member, the Republican Party in US is the third largest, with the total of 30.7 million member (as of Aug. 2012, please refer to the link http://2012election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004483#democratic_party).
- 20.
Xinhua Net: Solid Leadership Group to Open up a New Situation of the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics—On-the-Spot Report of the Generation of New Central Leadership Group. Nov. 15, 2012.
- 21.
Mao Zedong: Five Requirements on the Successor of the Proletarian Revolution Cause is quoted from the speech made by Mao Zedong in the central committee conference held from May 15 to June 17 1964. The book On Revolution Education by Mao Zedong was reviewed by Mao Zedong before publication.
- 22.
Regarding the democratic recommendation of the candidates qualified for the members of the Political Bureau for the 17th Congress, the Central Committee held Party leadership meeting in June 2007. There were over 200 candidates who are leadership of ministry level or large military regions under 63 years old, qualified the requirements to be the members of the Political Bureau for the 17th Congress. (How to elect a Central Committee?) Writer’s Digest, front page on Nov. 16, 2012.
- 23.
Xinhua Net: Solid Leadership Group to Open up a New Situation of the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics—On-the-Spot Report of the Generation of New Central Leadership Group. Nov. 15, 2012. http://news.xinhua/net.com/18cpcnc/2012-11/15/c_113700375.htm
- 24.
Hu Angang, Oct. 23, 2012.
- 25.
Xi Jinping: Speech on the Journalist Interview for the New Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, Nov. 15, 2012.
- 26.
The General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed in the speech on the first collective learning of the Political Bureau of Central Committee: some countries suffer from discontents all around, social instability, regime collapsed due to long term conflictions, corruption is one of the critical one. The facts have told us that the Party and country would be in danger as the corruption getting worse, we should be cautious about it. Xi Jinping: Speech on the Journalist Interview for the New Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, Nov. 15, 2012.
- 27.
Hu Jintao pointed out that the world is still not stable. The international financial crisis casts a long shadow on the unstable and uncertain factors against the world economic growth have increased, the global disparate development is intensified, hegemonism, and power politics, neo-interventionism have risen, regional turbulences happen occasionally, global issues such as food safety, energy source security, network security, are still prominent. Hu Jintao: Unswerving move forward toward the socialist road with Chinese characteristics, strive for comprehensively building the moderately prosperous society—Report to the 18th National Congress of CPC on Nov. 8, 2012.
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Hu, A. (2018). Transition of the Central Leadership Group. In: China's Road and China's Dream. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7422-6_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7422-6_3
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