Book Description

China After Deng Xiaoping This book gives bold and thought-provoking answers to the question "What will happen after Deng Xiaoping’s death?" by analysing major political and economic trends in China since the June 4, 1989 crackdown. The intriguing career of patriarch Deng after the Tiananmen Square massacre — and his place in history — is assessed with the help of previously unpublished internal documents and hundreds of interviews with key players. The lively story-telling and incisive judgements are buttressed by generous quotations from the speeches and writings of the politicians who will shape China’s future. China After Deng Xiaoping looks at developments in six crucial areas from 1989 to late 1994, and forecasts their progress into the next decade: a) Deng Xiaoping’s contributions and legacy; b) economic reform, the quasi-capitalist road, and the rules of the game in the socialist market economy; c) the residual influence of the Maoists; d) the expanding role of the People’s Liberation Army; e) political reform and the future of the Chinese Communist Party; f) the post-Deng Xiaoping leadership, tension between Beijing and the regions, and the rise of private entrepreneurs. China After Deng Xiaoping examines the crisis-ridden country that Deng will leave behind. After the June 4 tragedy, Deng made valiant efforts to "mend heaven" by resuscitating economic reform. By early 1995, China seemed on the threshold of integration with the global economic order. However, the political system remains feudal and corrupt. Economic liberalisation has reached a bottleneck. The socio-economic costs of reform are becoming prohibitive unless commensurate steps are taken to modernise the political structure. Will Deng’s anointed successors — led by President Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng and Vice-Premier Zhu Rongji — shepherd the country towards a novel phase of reform? Will China take the leap into the international market place? Will the Shanghai Faction led by Jiang and Zhu continue to ride high? What role will the army play? Or has the balance of power been tipped in favor of new forces such as the regional "warlords", the private entrepreneurs and an intelligentsia that has been re-awakened by the information revolution? China After Deng Xiaoping gives clues to the outcome of the slugfest within the Communist party that will break out after the paramount leader’s demise. The book also looks at how the urge to "get rich first" has transformed the mentality of cadres as well as ordinary people. Infinite possibilities — most of them non-Marxist and non-socialist — are beckoning for those who want to embrace the opportunities of the Asia-Pacific century. A new chapter for the world’s longest-continuous civilisation opens as its last patriarch gives up the ghost.