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Jiang still pulls strings of leadership
(CNN) -- The new head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Hu Jintao has not been accorded the status of "leadership core," the designation given to previous leaders such as Jiang Zemin or Deng Xiaoping. While talking to delegates to the just-ended 16th party Congress on Friday, President Jiang Zemin expressed confidence that the nation would prosper "under the CCP Central Committee leadership with Hu Jintao as General Secretary." Until Jiang stepped down as party general secretary at the congress, official media had referred to him as the "core of the Third Generation leadership" or the "core of the central party authorities." While the 76-year-old leader is scheduled to give up his state presidency in March, he decided earlier this week not to surrender his post as Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Party sources in Beijing said it was likely that, as in the case of late patriarch Deng Xiaoping, Jiang would for the foreseeable future hold on to the CMC slot despite having given up his other party positions. The sources said since Hu would remain CMC Vice-chairman, it would be some time before the 59-year-old would assume powers commensurate with those of a "leadership core." In his speech to the congress delegates, Hu remained deferential to Jiang, saying the new leadership would "bear in mind what comrade Jiang Zemin has entrusted us." Official papers on Saturday quoted Hu as saying the new Politburo would "unswervingly uphold the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, and fully implement the important thought of the 'Three Represents'." The Theory of the Three Represents, a Jiang invention that was enshrined in the party charter last week, refers to the fact that the party must represent the foremost productivity and culture, as well as the interests of the people. Beijing intellectuals have raised doubts about the propriety of Jiang, who is no longer a member of the party's ruling Central Committee, holding on to the CMC chairmanship. Economics professor Shang Dewen, a well-known liberal, pointed out Jiang's retaining the military position could give people the impression that "it is the gun that commands the party, not the other way round." In an apparent effort to prevent the People's Liberation Army from interfering in party politics, Jiang has upheld the principle of the CCP's "absolute leadership over the gun." In his first speech to military officers after being re-named CMC chief, Jiang urged PLA staff to "uphold the absolute leadership of the party over the army." The state media on Saturday also quoted the president as telling PLA officers that the increasingly "complex and changeable" global situation had posed new challenges to China's defense forces. Diplomatic analysts said generals close to Jiang had cited China's uneasy relationship with the U.S. as one reason why an experienced cadre should remain at the helm of the CMC for a few more years.
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