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Political Change in China 中国政治发展与变化

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Political Change in China 中国政治发展与变化 Political Change in China 中国政治发展与变化 Conference Proceedings Prepared by Bernie Michael Frolic York University and the University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 6-7 March 2009 Political Change in China: The Current Situation and Future Directions Table of Contents Workshop Programme (p.2) Introduction (p.4) Conference Welcome (p.5) Session I | The Party and Political Change I Charles Burton (p.6) Alfred Chan (p.10) Jeremy Paltiel (p.14) Bernie Frolic (Discussant) (p.17) Discussion (p.20) Session II | The Party and Political Change II Gregory Chin (p.25) Cui Zhiyuan (p.27) Joe Wong (Discussant) (p.31) Discussion (p.34) Session III | Local and Regional Institutions and Issues Sonny Lo (p.38) Lynette Ong (p.41) Susan Henders (Discussant) (p.44) Discussion (p.46) Session IV | Human Rights and Law Pitman Potter (p.50) Sun Zhe (p.55) Jeremy Paltiel (Discussant) (p.58) Discussion (p.60) Session V | Emerging Civil Society I Qing Miao, Read by Bernie Frolic (p.66) Dan Koldyk (p.71) Steve Trott (Discussant) (p.76) Discussion (p.78) Session VI | Ideas and Intellectuals Daniel Bell (p.82) Rowena He (p.87) Charles Burton (Discussant) (p.94) Discussion (p.96) Session VII | Emerging Civil Society II Marie-Eve Reny (p.103) David Ownby (p.107) Feng Xu (Discussant) (p.112) Discussion (p.114) Session VIII | The Current Situation and Future Directions: A Discussion Bernie Frolic and Victor Falkenheim (p.121) Discussion (p.126) Appendix Participant List (p.136) 1 Political Change in China: The Current Situation and Future Directions Workshop Programme I) The Party and Political Change I session Chair: Gordon Houlden Discussant: Bernie Frolic Internal Party Debates on the Reform of China's Political Institutions | Charles Burton | Associate Professor, Political Science, Brock University 17th Party Congress: Personnel Realignment and Political Change | Alfred Chan | Associate Professor, Huron University College, University of Western Ontario How the Party Markets Itself in China | Jeremy Paltiel | Professor, Carleton University II) The Party and Political Change II session Chair: Richard Stubbs Discussant: Joe Wong Beyond the Fragmented, Decentralized, Weakened Chinese State | Gregory Chin | Assistant Professor, York University and Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation Chinese Perspectives on Political Reform | Cui Zhiyuan | Professor, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University III) Local and Regional Institutions and Issues session Chair: Eric Walsh Discussant: Susan Henders Political Reform in the Hong Kong SAR: The Clash of Two Perspectives | Sonny Lo | Professor, Political Science, University of Waterloo The Communist Party and Local Financial Reform | Lynette Ong | Assistant Professor, University of Toronto and Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University IV) Human Rights and Law session Chair: Gerald Wright Discussant: Jeremy Paltiel Law and Human Rights: Selective Adaptation and Official and Non-Official Discourses | Pitman Potter | Professor, Law and Director, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia China's Human Rights Agenda | Sun Zhe | Professor, Institute for International Studies and Director, Center for U.S.-China Relations, Tsinghua University V) Emerging Civil Society I session Chair: Razmik Panossian Discussant: Steve Trott Grassroots Civil Society in China | Qing Miao | Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Center for Civic Studies, Shandong University Homeowner Politics in China | Dan Koldyk | DPhil Candidate, Comparative Politics, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford VI) Ideas and Intellectuals session Chair: Victor Falkenheim 2 Political Change in China: The Current Situation and Future Directions Discussant: Charles Burton Confucius and Political Culture | Daniel Bell | Professor, Ethics and Political Theory, Tsinghua University Tiananmen Resonance: Memory and Voices in Exile | Rowena He | Postdoctoral Fellow, Fairbank Centre, Harvard University VII) Emerging Civil Society II session Chair: Gregory Chin Discussant: Feng Xu Central Government Responses to Local Protests | Marie-Eve Reny | PhD Candidate, Comparative Politics, University of Toronto Religious Revival and the Rule of Law | David Ownby | Professor, History and Director, Centre for East Asian Studies, University of Montréal VIII) The Current Situation and Future Directions: A Discussion Co-Chairs: Bernie Frolic and Victor Falkenheim 3 Political Change in China: The Current Situation and Future Directions Introduction We are pleased to send you this copy of the 2009 Conference on Political Change in China, organized by York University and the University of Toronto. The Proceedings summarize two days of panels and discussion by specialists from Canada and the People's Republic of China focused on five areas: the Party, state institutions, law, human rights and civil society. Our conclusion is that significant political change is taking place in China at the present time, although China will remain an authoritarian political system for the foreseeable future. There is progress in political liberalization. However, the prospects for Western style democratic outcomes are uncertain. The Party's control of the levers of power appears relatively secure and at this point in time it has the support of most Chinese citizens. Our group will continue its efforts to learn more about these issues through our ongoing research and discussion, and expects to hold further workshops and conferences on the themes that were raised at this Conference. A copy of these Proceedings will shortly be available online, along with a selection of the Conference papers. We are also currently compiling an edited volume for publication. Special thanks to the York Centre for Asian Research at York University, the Asian Institute at the Munk Centre at the University of Toronto, the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia Pacific Studies at University of Toronto, and the Asia Pacific Foundation for their support. Bernie Michael Frolic Conference Organizer October 18, 2009 4 Political Change in China: The Current Situation and Future Directions Conference Welcome Bernie Frolic (Professor Emeritus, Political Science, York University and Senior Researcher, Asian Institute, University of Toronto) Welcome to the Conference on Political Change in China, sponsored by York University, the University of Toronto, the David Chu Programme, and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. This Conference follows from the exploratory workshop that we held last April in Toronto. We looked at five areas: Party reform, the development of state institutions, the rule of law, civil society, and human rights. To focus our discussion we referred to the study edited by Randall Peerenboom, Is China Trapped in Transition? (Oxford, 2007) that examined Pei Minxin's thesis that China may be stuck in a "partial reform equilibrium," from which it will have difficulty extricating itself. As a group we were not convinced of his argument. In our workshop, we concluded that political change was taking place in China, although it is slow and incremental, and China is likely to remain an authoritarian political system with doubtful prospects for the realization of Western democracy for some time. There is a political "transition" taking place in China; not necessarily "trapped", but also not "democratic". The full workshop discussion was circulated to participants in our Workshop Proceedings of May 2008. At this Conference, we once again take a look at political change in China, this time through the lens of research papers by individuals who have spent a significant part of their lives studying and living in China. We have assembled many of the leading Canadian sinologists to tell us what they have learned, and to assess in more depth the prospects for political change in the PRC. In addition, we are fortunate to have papers from three scholars from the PRC who will provide their views on this important topic. In the recent period, China's great economic growth has commanded the attention of the outside world. China has adapted quickly to globalization and international business culture. We have benefited from, and are impressed by this remarkable economic growth. Many are less pleased, however, with the changes taking place in the political area, and have criticized China for its lack of progress in political liberalization, human rights and the promotion of democracy. These critics happen to include our current Canadian government. As a result, our bilateral relationship today is at a low ebb and you will notice a piece in today's Toronto Star by Charles Burton, one of our Conference participants, which urges our government to strengthen our relations with China. Is it not our intention at this Conference, however, to offer policy prescriptions to governments, nor to confront Chinese officials with our concerns over human rights and democracy. We are here to learn more about today's Chinese political system, based on our research, and to offer informed assessments about the future path of China's political development. We have a full programme of eight panels and 15 papers, and enough time for discussion. We welcome audience participation and contributions to what should be two fascinating days. 5 Political Change in China: The Current Situation and Future Directions DAY ONE: MORNING SESSIONS The Party and Political Change I Gordon Houlden (Director, China Institute, University of Alberta) This is an ambitious topic to examine for several reasons. Of course,
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