Zhu, like Deng, understood that the Chinese Communist Party could maintain legitimacy, as long as they maintained growth. As China’s top economic policy maker, Zhu won over initially skeptic conservatives like Chen Yun by displaying a streak of caution that Deng lacked. Zhu satisfied Deng, the Chinese people, and conservatives, by giving them the growth… Read more »
In 1991, Jiang Zemin met Bill Clinton in Beijing for a press conference broadcast live across China. This was a new face of Chinese foreign policy, an attempt by a new generation of leaders to put a more democratic face on China.
With the legitimacy of the party in free fall after 1989, Deng watched with trepidation as communist regimes collapsed in Eastern Europe. With Deng losing influence to conservatives like Li Peng and Chen Yun, he found a new ally in the mayor of Shanghai, Zhu Rongji. With Zhu’s help, Deng made a play to regain… Read more »