It was supposed to be the most orderly transfer of power in China's modern history. In a scenario planned years ago by then-paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, President Jiang Zemin was to step down as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party at the 16th Party Congress this fall. Hu Jintao, vice-president, head of the Communist Party School and one of Deng's anointed, would then take Jiang's place as party chief and, next spring, as President. But now, rumors are swirling that Jiang wants to hang on to power―and he's wooing party leaders for their backing. With this turn of events, the party's annual summit now getting under way at the seaside resort of Beidaihe assumes tremendous significance. "This meeting will be crucial in shaping the final lineup" of China's leadership, says Kenneth Lieberthal, a China expert who advised the Clinton Administration.
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