Fewsmith in AP on China’s Fall Party Congress
Joseph Fewsmith, Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was recently interviewed for a widely syndicated article on China’s Fall Party Congress which is expected to bring a second term to President Xi Jinping as well as some leadership changes to the party’s governing bodies.
Fewsmith was quoted in a March 9, 2017 in an article by the Associated Press entitled “China Looks Ahead to Fall Party Congress, Leadership Changes.” The article was picked up by several news outlets, including the New York Times.
From the text of the article:
Under those circumstances, the desire for an experienced, steady hand on the tiller could work to Xi’s advantage, says Boston University China expert Joseph Fewsmith.
Predictions are made more difficult because, rather than hard and fast rules, the criteria and procedures for selecting new leaders are based on consensus and precedent that have helped “routinize competition,” according to Fewsmith. While the country’s constitution limits the president to two terms, the party constitution makes no such stipulations. Even the size of the Politburo Standing Committee can fluctuate, shrinking from nine to seven five years ago.
“My assumption is that Xi Jinping will emerge as even stronger following the party congress, so this is more about picking his team,” Fewsmith said.
“Xi is clearly interested in and keen to leave his marks and make changes,” said Fewsmith, of Boston University. “I don’t think he made himself ‘chairman of everything’ just for the sake of it.”
You can read the entire article here.
Fewsmith is Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Boston University. He is the author or editor of eight books, including, most recently, The Logic and Limits of Political Reform in China (January 2013). Fewsmith travels to China regularly and is active in the Association for Asian Studies and the American Political Science Association. Learn more about him here.