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WORLD AFFAIRS GROUP : CHINA SERIES

WILL CHINA BECOME DEMOCRATIC ?

Prof. Zheng Yongnian
University of Nottingham

Wednesday, 16 April 2008 at 7.30pm

Prof. Yongnian will argue that democratization is inevitable in China in the long run.  However, so far, the Chinese leadership democratization has been only one of the many goals that it has to pursue.  China's transition at this stage is more about socio-economic development and state-building.  Democratization in China seems to be following a path that takes it first through economic reforms, then social reforms and eventually political reforms. Rapid socio-economic transition is generating enormous pressure for political democratization on one hand and creating a better socio-economic infrastructure for democracy in China.