Report of MAC Council Meeting on China’s Recent: The Hu-Wen Leadership Is Established
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) held its 152nd Council Meeting today (4th) to report on China’s recent situation.
On China’s political and economic development, the Chinese Communist Party convened the Fourth Plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee in September this year (2004), and approved to adopt a “CPC Central Committee Decision on the Enhancement of the Party’s Governance Capability.” Jiang Zemin resigned as Chairman of the Central Military Commission and was succeeded by Hu Jintao. The current tendency of the Hu-Wen to take over the leadership in China has thus established. China’s economy has grown by 9.5 percent in the first three quarters this year as compared to the same period last year. However, its lack of energy security has been highlighted by higher oil price and electricity shortage. The persistence of its macro-regulation and control, which has highlighted unfavorable factors such as the inability of its administrative control measures to guide the market’s supply and demand, should also not be underestimated.
On its foreign relations, China has endeavored to enhance its influence in the international community, in the wake of the stalemate of the US peace efforts in Iraq and the “Six-Party Talks” on the Korean nuclear issue, by supporting reforms in the United Nations Security Council and being invited for the first time to join the conferences of the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, as well as reinforcing its efforts in “great power diplomacy” on Russia (ensuring energy security and market economic status), France (trade, economic, and cultural exchanges), and other countries.
On China’s efforts targeted at Taiwan, the strongly-worded statement issued by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office in its press briefing on October 13, 2004 toward President Chen Shui-bian’s National Day address revealed that China’s Taiwan policy would still abide by the fundamental principles of the May 17 Statement even after the Hu-Wen administration has fully taken over the leadership. Moreover, the upgrade of the level of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification (CCPPR) to enhance the so-called “anti-separatist-and-pro-reunification” campaign is especially worth paying close attention to.