Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government, is quoted extensively in the Oct. 15 issue of TIME magazine in "The Man to See." The article analyzes the leadership of China's president Hu Jintao and the forces and issues within the government that he must address. Li describes the two distinct factions within the government, the populists led by Hu and his allies, and the élitists, made up of so-called princelings--children of top officials--and supporters of former President Jiang Zemin. They represent "two starkly different sociopolitical and geographical constituencies," according to Li.
In an October 2nd BusinessWeek article titled "Chinese Policymakers Turn to the Lawyers," Li also spoke about the future leadership of China. In discussing the "fifth generation" of leaders and those ascending the ranks below them, Li observed that, "The trend is very clear: Over the next five to 10 years more lawyers will move into the driving seat of Chinese politics."
In the last 18 months China has put into law a large body of commercial legislation related to antitrust, bankruptcy, company activity, property rights, labor contracts and securities issues. Li observed that, "The issues of the law are only partly related to the rise of lawyers but more to do with the realization that these laws are important to the country. The technocrat leadership was introduced to the country by Deng Xiaoping but he wasn't a technocrat. Hu is no lawyer but he has introduced legal reforms."
The October issue of the China Economic Review also quoted Li in an article titled "A Legal Legacy" and in a second related article, "Internal Affairs – The Chinese Communist Party and the art of negotiation and compromise." In the former, Li again reiterated his belief that lawyers would play an increasingly powerful role in China's future in the coming years. In the second article he discussed the October Chinese Communist Party Congress. "I just think there is likely to be large-scale leadership change on the Politburo Standing Committee, Politburo and Central Committee," he said in this extensive and detailed interview.
In an October 2nd BusinessWeek article titled "Chinese Policymakers Turn to the Lawyers," Li also spoke about the future leadership of China. In discussing the "fifth generation" of leaders and those ascending the ranks below them, Li observed that, "The trend is very clear: Over the next five to 10 years more lawyers will move into the driving seat of Chinese politics."
In the last 18 months China has put into law a large body of commercial legislation related to antitrust, bankruptcy, company activity, property rights, labor contracts and securities issues. Li observed that, "The issues of the law are only partly related to the rise of lawyers but more to do with the realization that these laws are important to the country. The technocrat leadership was introduced to the country by Deng Xiaoping but he wasn't a technocrat. Hu is no lawyer but he has introduced legal reforms."
The October issue of the China Economic Review also quoted Li in an article titled "A Legal Legacy" and in a second related article, "Internal Affairs – The Chinese Communist Party and the art of negotiation and compromise." In the former, Li again reiterated his belief that lawyers would play an increasingly powerful role in China's future in the coming years. In the second article he discussed the October Chinese Communist Party Congress. "I just think there is likely to be large-scale leadership change on the Politburo Standing Committee, Politburo and Central Committee," he said in this extensive and detailed interview.
