Is Xi Jinping a Reformer Similar to Deng Xiaoping
Abstract
Deng Xiaoping shifted the Chinese Communist Party's core focus from ideology to economic development by announcing his policy of reform and opening up in 1978. His pragmatic policies resulted in political stability, ideological openness, and sparked over thirty years of rapid economic growth. After 30 years since reform and opening up, China has reached a critical juncture in its development. The Chinese economy requires drastic reforms to continue to grow, and political reforms are needed to overcome vested interests opposed to changing the status quo. In response to Chinas challenges, Xi Jinping, who became the Party leader in 2012, has cultivated his image as Deng-style reformer. Within a year of coming to power, he announced the most aggressive and comprehensive set of reforms since Deng's in 1978. The lack of progress on market reforms and his rapid consolidation of power, however, has led many China observers to question his commitment to rebalancing Chinas economy. Despite the lack of significant progress on economic reforms, this paper finds that Xi is a reformer similar to Deng.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 09, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1041687
Entities
People
- Vito Su
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College