China's new political succession is the object

of this volume, with contributions by some of

the best political scientists. The authors answer

the following questions and issues:

profiling and understanding general secretary

Hu Jintao, along with the new leaders after

the 16^th Party Congress, opening the way to

a "fourth generation" in Chinese politics;

assessing the influence of former president

Jiang Zemin who has kept control of China's

Central Military Commissions; estimating the

People's Liberation Army relation with the

political system; exploring the values of a

political system that faces, among other

symptoms, pervasive corruption in the midst

of fast economic growth; finally, judging the

degree of institutional stability that the Chinese

Communist Party manages to attain,

and the limits that still exist to the rule of

law. This book will be useful to anyone who

wants to understand the coming changes of

China after a quarter of a century of reform

and growth.