REFLECTIONS ON THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S 90TH (Founded July 1, 1921 )

AFTER THE PARTY 

FOR THE PARTY 

WAS OVER 

WU BANGGUO, HU JINTAO, 

& JIANG ZEMIN 

(left to right) 

Center stage at the 17th Congress 

of the Chinese Communist Party 

October 2007 

As the celebrations for the ninetieth anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party culminated in the grand set piece in the Great Hall of the People July 1, commentators (for examples, see here and here) quickly noticed who was missing:  Jiang Zemin. 

Jiang Zemin, who is only five years younger than the Party (born August 17, 1926), was not in the place of honor he has customarily occupied in these significant gatherings since he gave up the central place at the 16th Congress in November, 2002.  The photograph above, for example, shows him at the 17th Congress in October, 2007, at the left hand of General Secretary and President Hu Jintao.  Wu Bangguo, the head of the National People's Congress, ranked number two in the Party hierarchy, sits on Hu's right hand. 

On July 1 his successors proceeded without him, as can be seen from the official photographs.  Declining health seemed to be the favorite media speculation. 

 

For more on Jiang, see here, here, here, here, and here. 

CHINA WILL *NEVER* BE A MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY: THUS SPAKE WU BANGGUO

CHINA'S #2

SAYS

* NO *

TO

(MULTI-PARTY)

DEMOCRACY

WU BANGGUO

Photographed at the 17th CCP Congress

Beijing, October 2007

Wu Bangguo is Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which is, officially, China's legislature, and which is holding its annual session in Beijing now.

Parliaments have at some moments in history been known to challenge the power of executive authorities such as kings.

But Wu is also number two in the hierarchy of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (only General-Secretary-and-President Hu Jintao is ranked higher). It comes as no surprise, then, that Wu announced today that "We have made a solemn declaration that we will not employ a system of multiple parties holding office in rotation," as the BBC reported.

No separation of powers, "bicameral or federal system," or diversification of "our guiding thought."

For if the system changed, "It is possible that the state could sink into the abyss of internal disorder."

The Party rules or Chaos looms.

THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS OPENS IN BEIJING

THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S 

CONGRESS (NPC) 

OPENS IN BEIJING 

AT THE GREAT HALL 

OF THE PEOPLE 

PREMIER WEN JIABAO (left) 

GIVES THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS; 

NPC CHAIR WU BANGGUO (right) 

PRESIDES 

Wen and Wu Photographed at the Unveiling of 

the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the 

Central Committee of the 17th Congress of 

the Chinese Communist Party, October 2007, 

in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing