Hearing on Major Internal Challenges Facing the Chinese Leadership

Opening Statement of William A. Reinsch

Commissioner and Cochair

February 3, 2006

Washington, DC

Good morning and welcome to the continuation of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s hearing on Major Internal Challenges Facing the Chinese Leadership. This final panel will address Chinese control mechanisms and strategies for dealing with public protests.

The Commission is pleased to welcome Dr. Scott Tanner who is a Senior Political Scientist with the RAND Corporation. Dr. Tanner has written extensively on China and politics, in particular on policing and internal security, political instability and unrest, the dilemmas of building the rule of law, human rights, lawmaking, leadership politics, and China-Taiwan relations.

Dr. Anne Thurston, formerly with the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, recently left her teaching post to complete a research project on “the s ocial consequences of China's economic reforms and problems of grassroots democratization.” She will share her research on grassroots political activities in China.

With that introduction I would like to ask Dr. Tanner to begin with his oral testimony. I need to remind all panelists that the Commission welcomes oral remarks up to seven minutes in length, and will accept for the hearing record prepared statements up to 10 pages in length, and up to 25 additional pages of supporting documentation.