Hu Jintao's power consolidation: Groups, institutions, and power balance in China's elite politics

Abstract

After becoming General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in November 2002, Hu Jintao surprised many observers by consolidating his power in a short period of time. There are two aspects to this power consolidation. First, he quickly promoted a large number of supporters, most notably his associates from the Chinese Communist Youth League, to key positions. Second, he buttressed himself as the core of the top leadership, at the same time forming a viable working relationship with other leaders, most notably Wen Jiabao and Zeng Qinghong. This resulted in a stable and viable power structure dominated by Hu. The institutionalization of Chinese elite politics in the last decade has created favorable conditions on which Hu was able to capitalize. However, future successions may still be hampered by institutional impediments. © Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University.