Monday 30 July 2007

The Chinese "Civil War" Moves Up a Gear

Readers of my old blog, Liberal Legend, might recall that I charted the strengthening of Hu Jintao's political position inside China by moving against the so-called "Shanghai faction" of the Chinese Communist Party. The Shanghai faction is apparently loyal to former President, Zhang Zemin. Ironically, it was members of this faction that tended to hold sway in Jiangxi Province when I worked there.

Chen Lianyi, the former Party Secretary of Shanghai, has apparently been kicked out of the Chinese Communist Party in the past week. An interesting act of retribution that will have put the fear of God amongst Jiang loyalists and probably Jiang Zemin himself. It may just become possible that Hu is going to move against the old man himself or potentially some of the "old Guard" themselves (Li Peng?). Li's family has been alledged, in true Taizi Dang fashion to have been involved in corruption and the use of Li's position to enrich themselves.

So, having hit the currently existing Shanghai faction, how far is Hu prepared to go? Will he also move against Zeng Qinghong who would have been Zhang Zemin's favoured successor?

The 17th Party Congress could prove even more interesting than the last one for seeing how powerful Hu Jintao really is.

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