InfoTrac Reader China China made an important transition in 2002-2003, at least on paper. An aging generation of leaders, headed by former President Jiang Zemin, retired from their official positions. In their place came a group of younger leaders, most notably the new president, Hu Jintao (born in 1942 and almost 20 years Jiang’s junior). The changes may not prove to be all that important, however. Jiang and his former colleagues are apparently trying to secure their influence as senior advisors, working behind the scenes much as Deng Xiaoping did late in his life. Also, there is nothing to indicate that previously little known Hu plans to embark on any sort of dramatic reforms. Indeed, despite being on the Standing Committee of the Politburo for a decade, Hu had had little obvious impact on Chinese political life until he emerged in 2001 as Jiang’s heir apparent. China continues to face many of the same issues that have affected its politics for the quarter-century since Deng and his colleagues initiated free-market economic reforms. How does the leadership smoothly make the transition toward growing use of the market, especially for the aging and inefficient state-owned industries? How does it keep the lid on political protest and demands for more human rights? Now, we can add the concerns of the post-9/11 world. China initially was a strong supporter of the United States’ position after the attacks since it was worried about terrorist threats of its own. However, incidents with the United States and Washington’s concern about North Korea have made relations between the two countries more problematic than they have been in at least a decade. 2004 brought new problems for China. It has sought to mediate the conflict between the United States and North Korea over the latter’s possession of nuclear weapons. China also seeks to maintain strong economic growth, even though this growth is concentrated in the urban areas and modernizing sectors of the economy. Finally, relations with Taiwan have been testy. Fanning the Flames; Beijing's dictates are getting Hong Kong fired up. Newsweek International April 12, 2004 p37 (597 words) Devil may care; China and Taiwan. (China and Taiwan's elections) The Economist (US) March 20, 2004 v370 i8367 p42US (663 words) Tug-of-war for Taiwan's identity; Taiwan holds its first-ever referendum Saturday in a presidential election that may define Taiwan-China ties. (WORLD) The Christian Science Monitor March 19, 2004 p06 (1200 words) Chen survives to push for independence; China, Taiwan and Hong Kong; Surviving an assassin, pushing for independence. Global Agenda March 19, 2004 pNA (1054 words) Push and Shove: It's not just Taiwan. China also has to deal with growing pressure for democracy in Hong Kong. (Asia) Susan Jakes. Time International (Asia Edition) March 15, 2004 v163 i10 p41 (742 words) Commentary: Hong Kong May Be Starting A Long March Toward Democracy? China's leaders, faced with unrest, may allow some reform. Business Week Jan 19, 2004 i3866 p43 (599 words) China looks to the future: China is in race to become the world's second-largest economy. (World) Craig Simons. Junior Scholastic Jan 19, 2004 v106 i11 p16(6) (1776 words) Dragon or dinosaur? Nuclear weapons in a modernizing China. Thomas M. Kane. Parameters Winter 2003 v33 i4 p98(16) (6988 words) Trouble on the fringes; China. (Democracy worries China) The Economist (US) Nov 29, 2003 v369 i8352 p38US (998 words) Gate-crashing the party; Politics in China. (Political reform in China) The Economist (US) Nov 15, 2003 v369 i8350 p40US (2518 words) China's New Diplomacy. Evan S. Medeiros, M. Taylor Fravel. Foreign Affairs Nov-Dec 2003 v82 i6 p22 (4555 words) Must China 'Democratize or Die'? : Complacent Assumptions About Chinese Politics Deflated by SARS. John Clark. World and I Nov 2003 v18 i11 p258 (5056 words) BEHIND THE REVOLT; The rise of people power has changed Hong Kong and China forever. Mark L. Clifford, Bruce Einhorn, Frederik Balfour, Dexter Roberts, Miguella Lam. Business Week July 21, 2003 i3842 p16 (2448 words) A late honeymoon for Bush and China: enjoy it while it lasts. Denny Roy. Asian Affairs: An American Review Summer 2003 v30 i2 p79(9) (3489 words) Chung, Chien-Peng, "China’s War on Terrorism." Foreign Affairs. 81 (July-Aug 2002). This article examines how China used the heightened concern with terrorism after 9/11 to intensify its repression of ethnic minority opposition groups. Intermediate. Clifford, Mark and Dexter Roberts. "China’s New Team." Business Week. 21 April 2003. This article not only explores the economic and political pressures on the new leadership but provides a first look at how it handled the SARS crisis. Gilboy, George and Eric Heginbotham, "China’s Coming Transformation." 80 (July-Aug 2001). One of the most sweeping analyses of how the economic reforms since the late 1970s are changing the face of China and will continue to do so. Intermediate. Kennedy, John James, "The Face of Grassroots Democracy in Rural China." 42 (2002). Asian Survey. The introduction of competitive local elections in some areas of rural China has gotten a lot of attention in the western press. This article systematically explores the phenomenon, including its limits. Advanced. Liu, Melinda, et al. "China’s Changing of the Guard." Newsweek International. 21 October 2002. The best short article on the new leadership. Basic. Moore, Rebecca, "China’s Fledgling Civil Society." World Policy Journal. 18 (2001). This thoughtful article explores the way globalization and economic reforms are beginning to produce a civil society in China. The author’s uncertainty is reflected in the section on possible democratization, the subtitle of which ends with a question mark. Intermediate. Nathan, Andrew, "The Tiananmen Papers." Foreign Affairs. 81 (Jan-Feb 2001). The Tiananmen Papers are supposedly transcripts of meetings of the senior Chinese leadership during the 1989 occupation of Tiananmen Square and the subsequent crackdown by the regime. Nathan, who helped publicize the papers, assesses their credibility and provides important excerpts from them. Basic. Pei, Minxin, "China’s Governance Crisis." Foreign Affairs 81 (Sept-Oct 2002). Pei looks beyond the question of Hu’s succession to consider deeper concerns about the way China governs itself. Intermediate. Williams, Harry. "Socialism and the End of the Perpetual Reform State in China." Journal of Contemporary Asia. 31 (2001). Most writing on China supports the reforms begun in 1979 and only wishes the leadership would go farther and faster. This article criticizes the regime from the left for abandoning socialism. Advanced. Yang, Dali, "China in 2001." Asian Survey. 42 (2002). The most recent of the annual surveys this journal publishes on events in China. Intermediate. Zweig, David. "China’s Stalled Fifth Wave." Asian Survey 41 (2001). One of the best basic overviews of the reforms in China since the last 1970s. Unfortunately, the article was published before Hu Jintao and his colleagues took office. Intermediate.