ABSTRACT
The fourth-generation leadership that emerged from the sixteenth Communist Party of China (CCP) Congress in November 2002 showed the Party in flux, fully committed to economic modernisation, but unswervingly dedicated to maintaining its own central and unchallengeable role in preserving the stability of the state. The two most prominent fourth-generation figures in the Politburo Standing Committee were President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Under the tougher Xi Jinping administration, the concept of ‘harmonious society’ has been derided by some for its rejection of the revolutionary traditions of the CCP. The participants were, however, more concerned to establish the basis for a smooth transition from the generation of leaders led by Jiang Zemin to what would become known as the fourth-generation leadership of the People’s Republic of China. The treatment by the CCP of former leaders often illuminates the internal balance of power.
