Xi's Path to Reform

A good piece from the SCMP's Wang Xiangwei.

Xi Jinping's wider ambitions in rooting out graft

Party elites are also likely to support a strong leader after witnessing what happens when there isn't one. Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao, failed to exercise control over the nine-member standing committee, giving rise to the saying: "Each of the nine dragons ruled their fiefdom without a clear leader". This has been widely blamed for the lack of any major reform drive and the rapid rise of official corruption during Hu's 10-year reign.

The argument that Xi's anti-corruption drive is no more than a power grab also fails to appreciate his political ambitions. As a son of a former reformist party leader, Xi appears to harbour grand ambitions to shape his political legacy on a par with that of Deng, who put China on the path of reform and opening-up.