The Communist Party of China held its Central Committee meeting Oct. 15-18. The first steps were taken on drafting the ruling party's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) which envisions continued high growth to cement its place as the world's second largest economy. The meeting also stressed stability and continuity under the expert guidance of the CPC dictatorship. Xi Jinping, the current vice president of the People's Republic of China, was promoted to vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, a key party post. Xi's appointment signals that he will likely become the next PRC president after Hu Jintao retires in 2012. Xi is being hailed by those in the West with an optimistic view of China as a reformer who favors expansion of the private sector. This assessment is based mainly on the perception that his father was a "progressive" within the party who paid a price for opposing the Tiananmen Square massacre of student democracy activists.  Xi, however,...(Read Full Post)