Very complicated story indeed. I have not read everything about it yet, and I actually don't care to much about individual politicians carrers in China. In the end they all stand for the same ideology, which I could never vow for or support.
It's interesting how people who admit that they haven't read much about it, and don't fully understand it, nevertheless feel so comfortable reaching such sweeping conclusions.
The truth is very, very different from the way that you've depicted it. Even among the senior leadership, there are
major differences in ideology: some wanting to return to more hard-line Communism, the others pushing for greater openness and a more democratic system.
Once you get away from the senior leadership, the differences become even more marked. There are Chinese gov't officials who actually want a fully democratic, multi-party system. There are Chinese gov't officials actively pushing for more gov't accountability, and greater transparency in the political process.
Of course, for people who haven't read much about it, and don't know much about it, it's easy to see them as "all just a bunch of Communists, who just want to keep their power"...and ironically, because they already "know" this "truth", they don't really bother researching more, or trying to understand the actual situation. A great example of how ignorance perpetuates ignorance.
But I tend to take such comments rather personally. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I have friends who are Chinese gov't officials, who are actively working from within the current structure to push for reform and democratization. By doing so, they risk not only their careers (I have one friend who lost his position and his Party membership because of his efforts), but even their freedom (there's always the potential of imprisonment).
So -- who do you think I have greater respect for? The guy who doesn't understand the situation, yet thinks they know enough that they don't
need to understand it...or they guy who bears the label of "Chinese government official", yet who is risking his career and his freedom to try to make his country a freer, more open country? Pisses me off to no end to hear people describe "all Chinese government officials" as being part of the same corrupt, power-hungry entity (although certainly there are many gov't officials who fit that description).
Even Wen Jiabao -- who currently is the Prime Minister of China -- is an active force for reform. In fact, he's been such an open advocate for significant reform,
and so vocal in his criticism of some current government policies, that
his own comments on the issues to foreign media have been censored in China! That's right...China's Prime Minister is so controversial that his own people aren't allowed to hear what he wants for his country (although it gets out through unofficial channels).
"All the same"? Please.
