The Issue of Political Reform and the Evolution of the So-Called ‘Deng Xiaoping Model’ in Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping’s China

This chapter analyses the position of recent Chinese leaders on political reform: the similarities between Xi Jinping and Hu Jintao, and the different rhetoric and approach by Wen Jiabao. Moreover, it examines the concept of the so-called ‘democracy with Chinese characteristics’ and the concept’s interpretation by Yu Keping, an innovative theorist of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The final part of the chapter deals with the special features of the model of reference pursued by Chinese leaders—the so-called ‘Deng Xiaoping Model’, which over the lastdecade underwent evolution and revision.