Princes’ party

As in Indian politics so in the CCP, family lineage does matter. If Sonia Gandhi represents India’s most successful political dynasty, Xi is among the many ‘princelings’, who owe their rise to their fathers’ leading positions in the CCP.

While the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong, and its builder Deng Xiaoping, did not push their own children into the top echelons of the CCP, promoting the political careers of sons and daughters is now very much part of the Communist tradition in China. ‘Born Red’, the ‘princelings’ have good educational backgrounds and get on to the CCP fast track. Early on in their careers, they tend to serve as ‘mishu’ or personal secretaries to top officials who are friends of their fathers. They are also often pitch-forked by the central leadership into running major cities around the nation.

By then they are expected to pick up enough skills to elbow their way to the top of the party state.

The writer is professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore