Episode 6: Leadership Change in China

The latest episode of Right of Reply features an interview with Queen’s History professor Emily Hill. The impetus and framework for the interview was the recent change in Chinese leadership, which happens only every decade or so. One of the most interesting things that Prof. Hill points out is that – despite all the speculation about potential changes under the new leadership – the new members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party wouldn’t have ascended to power without extensive connections to the previous generation of leadership and continuing support of the party line. Improvements in human rights, particularly minority rights, party accountability and more proactive environmental policy are a still a few years down the road for China.