In his lecture, Dr. Lampton strived to differentiate between the Chinese and western perceptions of their respective leaders. Although leadership figures in the United States and other such multi-party democratic systems are considered to be regular people elected to a position of responsibility, the same is not true within the Chinese system. The influence of Confucianism’s hierarchical view of society has endowed Chinese leaders with a far greater level of importance and prerogative than their western counterparts.
To illustrate this point, Dr. Lampton gave the situational example of a high ranking Chinese leader participating in a press conference: the leader may be surrounded by many subordinate advisors, but the advisors’ role in any discussion is usually similar to that of “potted plants.”
Dr. Lampton further observed the Chinese political organization is exaggerated both by the country’s Leninist tradition of democratic centralism and by the lack of a definitive legal structure. Because there is no mechanism for determining a rule of law in China’s government, all policies and courses of action are necessarily a function of what the leader decides.
Dr. Lampton spoke briefly about several individuals who have been the most influential in transforming China into the economic juggernaut emerging today. He pointed out the various tactical shifts within leadership strategy and provided a breakdown of what makes a “capable leader” in China.
Although the traditional leadership concept is still very much in evidence, Deng Xiaoping’s leadership marked the beginning of a series of fundamental changes in China’s supreme leader. The core of the second generation of Chinese leadership, Deng Xiaoping stood in marked contrast to Mao Zedong by embracing a strategic worldview as a mechanism to help deal with the many social and institutional woes left over from the Mao era. Deng changed China from a country obsessed with mass political movements to a country focused on economic construction. He is generally credited with advancing China into becoming one of the fastest growing economies in the world and raising the standard of living for millions of Chinese people.
Finally, Dr. Lampton gave the participants a short profile of China’s two leaders-in-waiting, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, contrasting their likely approaches to ensure China’s continued growth by evaluating their respective backgrounds.
Profile of Dr. Lampton
TESTIMONY: "CHINA ON THE EVE OF THE OLYMPICS" (PDF)
by David M. Lampton
HEARING, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2008
9:30 a.m.;
Room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building
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