China's Politics under Hu Jintao

Abstract

This special issue 1 focuses on Hu Jintao's first mandate in power, be-tween the Sixteenth and the Seventeenth Party Congress (2002-2007). It considers two intertwined issues: power viewed through the lens of party politics, and actual policy changes that may have emanated from a man-date initially loaded with expectations. Besides the domestic dimensions of elite politics and ideological change, two central aspects of Chinese politics, the key question tackled in this issue is the ability of a new gen-eral secretary to transform past policies, especially in the realms of for-eign affairs and national security since they are by tradition – and consti-tutionally – the responsibility of China's paramount leader.