Hu Jintao Shifting the Emphasis of the Three Represents

David Shambaugh noted that unlike former Chinese president Jiang Zemin's emphasis on recruiting members of the "advanced productive forces" (in other words, entrepreneurs) into the Chinese Communist Party, Hu Jintao had shifted the emphasis of the Three Represents to the third "represent": or the interests of the vast majority of the people.

This, according to Shambaugh, was "politically very astute." (China's Communist Party Atrophy and Adaptation, Woodrow Wilson Centre Press, 2008)

"It not only indicated Hu's (and Premier Wen Jiabao's) appreciation of the widening and alarming gap in social stratifications in China today, but also reflects their appreciation of the rising resentment in the interior of the country toward those in the coastal regions and major cities who have benefited most from the last decade’s economic reforms – precisely the constituency catered to by Jiang."

In many speeches by Hu and Wen, it is clear that both have shifted priority away from Jiang's coastal constituency toward the interior, though admittedly an actual shift in resources "have been less apparent."

By embracing the "third represent", Hu has "adroitly changed the emphasis of the Three Represents campaign without jettisoning it. This tactical ploy is emblematic of Hu’s savvy leadership style."

Besides this shift of emphasis from the third represent, Hu also began to stress the need for "scientific development" and the "scientific development concept (kexue fazhan guan)."

Shifting the discourse on the Three Represents is clearly a way for Hu to leave a personal imprint and possibly entrench his political legacy.

Interestingly, the originator of the Three Represents Theory Liu Ji proposed that democracy shall first be achieved within the CCP before extending to the rest of the population.

As Shambaugh noted, this sort of reasoning is a long-standing Chinese view dating back to Sun Yat-sen, based on concepts of tutelage and the elitist idea that the Chinese masses are not "ready" for democracy. Echoes of this reasoning are also heard in Yu Keping's notion of "incremental democracy." Yu is the deputy director of the Central Committee’s Compilation and Translation Bureau and is a close adviser to Hu on political reform.