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CHINA'S LEADERS BRACE FOR BATTLE WITH REGIONS

Willy Lam

Asia Times, September 25, 2008

The party is pretty much over for China's Hu Jintao-Wen Jiabao leadership. After the coming-out extravaganza of the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hoped to extend the festive mood through to late September for the launch of the country's third manned space flight, the Shenzhou VII, and then the week-long October 1 National Day celebrations.

Yet the Politburo under President Hu and Premier Wen will have to face the music during the third plenary session of the CCP Central Committee (CCPCC), which is due immediately after the National Day festivities. The Hu-Wen team's worst headache could come from CCPCC members from the regions, who will be lobbying aggressively for Beijing to loosen its tight monetary policy as well as to boost transfer payments and preferential policies for provinces and cities hard hit by economic doldrums, such as the closure of medium-sized factories and falling property prices.

Moreover, the "warlords" - a reference to resourceful regional party secretaries, governors and mayors - have continued to resist the central authorities' (zhongyang) decade-long objective of streamlining the grassroots bureaucracy.

(...) [artículo aquí]