ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the political implications of Jiang Zemin's new effort to rebuild an ideology for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as reflected generally in the 'Three Represents' theory and particularly in the new policy of recruiting capitalists to the Party, which was revealed in Jiang's July 1 speech. It addresses how Jiang's move to allow entrepreneurs into Party and the subsequent criticism this decision has received have interacted to influence both the political direction and power transition at the coming Sixteenth National Party Congress. Linking such efforts to the broader socioeconomic transitions that China is experiencing, the chapter examines Jiang Zemin's and the CCP's motivations for formulating this policy on three levels. The first level refers to China's increasing involvement in the world political economy. The second level deals with the Party's political bases within Chinese society. The third is the new efforts have formed a political program of elite circulation aimed at transforming the Party's social bases.
