SYDNEY — The appointment of five provincial-level Chinese Communist Party chiefs in early December is a reminder that the ascension of China's next generation of leaders, who will take power in 2012, may be the most significant development in Chinese politics since the reign of Deng Xiaoping began in 1978.
The upcoming generation of leaders will be the first with little or no personal memory of the turmoil and hardship endured during the Mao Zedong years. Forgetting that history might doom China to repeat the mistakes of the past; but for better or worse, it might also ease constraints and set its leaders free.
All five appointees were born after the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. Two of them, Hu Chunhua and Sun Zhengcai, are only 46 years old. This is in line with the party's recently announced policy that the next generation of leaders should have an average age of around 55 years, with up to four top positions filled by leaders not yet in their 50s. The party's aim is to ensure that it remains energetic and dynamic as China rises.