The Chinese Communist Party will hold its "Third Plenum" meeting in Beijing, beginning November 9. All eyes are on General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Party leaders as they unveil a new set of economic reforms. Will they be bold enough to meet the challenges of the day? Will they also include political reforms?
In this article at ChinaFile titled, "What the Heck is China's 'Third Plenum' and Why Should You Care?" gives a great overview of the upcoming meetings and lists some things to look for.
According to the author, Barry Naughton, these are the key questions to consider as the meeting begins:
- Is there a clear direction for reform of local government finances?
- Will the Party take bold steps to reform land ownership?
- Will the Party move to abolish dual citizenship and give rural migrants full rights to live life as equals in the city?
- Will the Party boldly re-affirm the rights of private businesses and begin to scale back the privileges of state-owned monopolies?
The Party taking any of these measures would border on revolutionary, but all four? This will definitely be an interesting Plenum to watch.
Photo by gill_penney, via Flickr
