Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government, was widely quoted in the MSNBC article, "Chinese in the dark as leaders gather." The article focuses on leadership stuggles between former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and current President and Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao.
Li said, "What do we really know? Some stories are only speculation and rumor, the pressure for Jiang to give up his position does not necessarily come from Hu Jintao." He noted, "factional politics" exist anywhere in the world, leaders could "differ in terms of ideas and priorities."
Li, the author of numerous books on China's new leaders and government, describes the relationship of the two camps as both "confrontational and cooperative," with neither side interested in defeating the other.
"What is encouraging is that the various types of tensions, between factions, regions, generations and social strata, are now being acknowledged, and conflicts of interests are recognized," Li said, adding that in broad terms, China's public is aware of policy debates and changes.
