Hu’s capacity to ensure the smooth succession of Li, however, remains in doubt. Hu was fortunate enough to be chosen by the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Hu, who does not have the political authority of Deng, has faced continuous resistance from other factions in the CCP, especially the one led by his predecessor Jiang Zemin.

The other contenders to succeed Hu are said to include Shanghai Party Chief Xi Jinping, Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and Li Yuanchao, party boss in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

Returning bribes

This happens only in China. Thanks to the CCP crackdown on corruption many officials across the country have chosen to “confess” their crimes and “return” the booty. According to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CCP, a total of 140,660 Chinese officials have “voluntarily” turned in bribes they had accepted over the past few years. The “returns” were valued at about 90 million US dollars. In the last five years, 6,828 officials have been punished for accepting cash and other gifts and another 16,411 were punished for gambling, Xinhua reports.

The writer is a professor at the

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological

University, Singapore