An Appraisal of Three Liberal Contributions to Political Reform in China

In Estudios, Sistema político by PSTBS12378sxedeOPCH

The debates on the future of China’s political system have faded in the West since the early 2010s, perhaps due to the lack of signs of openness at sight. However, the various representations/images of the future flowing within the Chinese educated rank (in government, think tanks and universities), contribute to understand current policy making and what the “yet to come” might hold.In the light of the role played by educated cadres in both shaping and reflecting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) policy agendas, examining these images can be valuable to calculate what the political trend is likely to become. This paper’s main premise is that what elites perceive about the PRC’s path in politics will correlate considerably with what such path eventually becomes.The following analysis will touch upon the scholarly production of three selected intellectuals, whose approach to the study of politics –even though they do not stick to the Party line- enjoy a considerable degree of recognition in the PRC elite, given their regular access to publishing in the Chinese establishment press.In the final remarks, a few considerations will be presented on the possible outcome of the ongoing thrust towards modern governance.