The view from the outside world

Dennis Pamlin, founder of Swedish consultancy 21st Century Frontiers

The Rules of Eight Points are a refreshingly honest response to the challenges of credibility facing most governments around the world. These indicate a genuine will to ensure that the leadership is leading toward the future and not living in the past. Ensuring a humble political leadership is something that is much needed all around the world as the distance between people and the political leaders has been growing for many years. If China could help inspire a trend to close the gap it would be very valuable. Moving forward, these eight points could be supported by two developments.

First, measurable targets and official reporting. In an age of rumors and social media it is important to have clear goals so that it is clear what kind of progress is taking place. Measurable goals also make it easier to evaluate policies on a regular basis, e.g. once every year. Clear targets also make it easier to deal with a mistake, because the important thing is overall development, not a single mistake.

Second, the eight goals are currently formulated to reduce the negatives. The focus is on bad things that should be reduced. It is a good first step, but such an initiative would also benefit from clear, positive goals, that also should be possible to measure. Some ideas for such targets: A 25 percent increase in meetings with the grassroots; provide a list of the top 800 most-urgent practical problems that people have mentioned; ensure that 50 percent of official documents are freely available in digital formats (and with the opportunity for people to comment on them); introduce transparency regarding visits and meetings between members of the Political Bureau and other stakeholders, including a list of all those who have met Politburo members more than four times.

Dennis Pamlin was talking to Fu Jing.

Jon Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St Thomas in Houston, Texas

In a word: refreshing. My guess is that the average Western reader of the Washington Post story is not familiar with Confucius. Xi Jinping's call for the Rules of Eight Points immediately reminded me of a quote from Confucius in The Analects: "The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." It evokes a long-held Chinese tradition: modesty and humility. To be blunt, the Party needed a measure of modesty and humility to restore confidence in its position as China's governing party.

In his role as General Secretary of CPC Central Committee, Xi and his colleagues are attempting to revitalize the image of the Party in the eyes of the Chinese public. Concerns about how several highly publicized corruption cases, particularly Bo Xilai, have damaged the Party in the eyes of the average Chinese citizen - and how that may impact social stability, confidence in the Party's role as the leading governing party of China, and continuing economic reforms - is at the heart of this call for simplification, plain language, and a more informal style in meetings and public activities.

What does this call for a more modest approach actually mean in practical terms? Shorter speeches, less rhetoric, a more businesslike approach to meetings and official gatherings, less extravagance and spending on official gatherings, fewer official tours and a reduced number of foreign trips. Many in the West and elsewhere fail to understand the uncanny ability of the CPC to reform, revitalize and renew itself in order to maintain its primacy as a vanguard party and ruling party. Xi's call for "the renaissance of the Chinese nation" on the final day of the 18th National Party Congress was an example of this. The Rules of Eight Points is another.

Additionally, I should note that I believe that Xi's call for "the renaissance of the Chinese nation" was not just political rhetoric. Why? Because the speeches given by Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Qishan and other members of the new Standing Committee since the 18th National Party Congress suggests a very visible and public commitment to moral renewal on the part of the Party. In particular, three areas are likely to be pursued by the CPC over the next five years: Vigorously prosecuting corruption,which impacts both the Party's credibility and legitimacy; a stronger commitment to economic reform and social stability; and a more dynamic foreign policy.

This is already beginning to happen. In a move similar to Deng Xiaoping 20 years ago, Xi has now made his own "Southern Tour" after calling for CPC reform: The Rules of Eight Points. To me it's obvious that Xi chose Shenzhen as well as Zhuhai for his first tour in order to show his determination to further deepen China's reform, as well as to pay tribute to Deng Xiaoping and his father, Xi Zhongxun and their commitment to reform. Most will be unaware that it was Xi Zhongxun who was instrumental in establishing the Special Economic Zone, which drove Deng's reformist program.

Jon Taylor was talking to Zhang Yuwei.

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