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A Test of Political Will for China’s Leaders

China’s new leaders have an intellectual understanding of the challenges of economic reform, but changing the status quo will require real political will to overcome opposition from vested interests.

by Evan A. Feigenbaum

published by

CNBC

on November 13, 2012

Source: CNBC

Speaking on CNBC, Carnegie's Evan Feigenbaum explained that Chinese leaders understand intellectually that the task of economic rebalancing is important. This tough reform process will be intrinsically political, he said. Vested interests, many of them state actors who have benefited from economic growth and become more powerful in the last ten years, will oppose changes to the status quo. Such domestic struggles will also shape China’s actions on the international stage, Feigenbaum concluded.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.