% k- L0 J0 D# |+ q; `HONG KONG - When Hu Jintao visits the United States on Tuesday, he'll have a regal entourage of aides, bodyguards and limousines. But the Chinese leader will leave behind in Beijing the most potent totem of his power: the title of general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.. ^8 C9 @ T B$ e; `
4 j0 p3 @: Z8 ^, C4 r# KHe's not giving up his day job as head of the world's largest political organization, but during his four-day U.S. trip, he'll assume an alternative identity. He'll be greeted at the White House and a Chicago auto-parts factory as Mr. President, a made-for-export alias used mostly for encounters with foreigners./ n2 M* }) |% h3 G, S
/ m$ d' G, e/ T( w* nThe morphing of roles flows from the protocol of his mission. Hu travels to the United States to represent China as a nation, not just its ruling party. But the shift obscures the true nature, and also curious limitations, of Hu's authority - his stewardship of a sprawling party apparatus that stands above all formal institutions of government but is no longer a rigid monolith obedient to a single leader. It also helps explain why Washington often has so much trouble figuring out who is making decisions in Beijing and why. # g; M& M: g t) R5 q& [" g; Q
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中国党政不分 华府困扰 5 Y5 |$ y( ~3 s+ u" Y/ Q8 Z& T% r
身兼多项要职的胡锦涛十八日访美时,他是以中华人民共和国主席之姿、而非另一个更有份量与权势的头衔——中国共产党中央委员会总书记,亲临华府白宫与美国总统奥巴马举行会谈。% G, q8 B7 a5 r' ~1 W: n! m
7 C( @' }: ?/ \( o& K4 F& `% l% y0 v" ] 北京到底谁当家?老美很困惑 - r5 R& N3 Y3 b7 x* v+ i1 v9 U5 m) z' i( \! a4 g
胡锦涛当然没有放弃中共总书记一职,暂时转换头衔只是为了符合此行宗旨——代表中华人民共和国,而非中国共产党出访。以党领政或党政不分对中国人或许稀松平常,但看在外人眼中,此等党政权力重叠却徒增困惑,模糊了胡锦涛的权限本质与局限,也是华府经常搞不清谁才是北京当家作主的老大,以及为什么是这样的重要原因之一。+ s' [2 x! a ^% S* \, ?1 ` l4 D
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随着中国日益强大与富裕,北京领导人的权限反而更为分散与不集中,甚至说更为大权旁落。即便是党政军“一把手”胡锦涛,有时也会被部属蒙在鼓里,特别是人民解放军。此外,中国的朝鲜政策虽以国家利益为本,但亦未放弃与朝鲜劳动党的多年密切关系,以致负责朝鲜事务的单位并非中国外交部,而是中共中央对外联络部。对美国而言,中国在朝鲜事务上的任何决策,都是黑箱作业。 9 w0 M( y/ C- u: T9 @) y" `- T9 p1 x6 e6 o1 j$ G* z
走过强人时代 中共采集体领导制 O9 J! F/ l( _ E% K* V) \' p5 N3 h
前克林顿政府副助理国务卿谢淑丽(Susan Shirk)指出,当今中国政体已非由毛泽东或邓小平的单一强人统治,而是集体领导式的寡头政治。自一九九七年邓小平过世以来,中国中央领导阶层的权力分散更加迅速,反映出官僚共识妥协的结果。党员八千万人的中共权力无边,总能迅速打压对党权威的直接挑战。中国日后在外交决策上会变得与美国愈来愈像,但两者仍存有一大差异,即“天听”始终只闻其声,但不见其人。 : T% _$ t& t- f: N9 V ( w+ T6 B) s9 o! G/ ^8 M+ |4 j 谢淑丽说,这正是外国与中国交往最大的挫折与矛盾来源;中国市场经济向世界敞开双臂,但其决策过程却极其隐晦。 % O3 B2 B) @/ p2 \0 Y4 p + S$ @0 t5 A! b( @( Y' j5 i 当胡锦涛明年交棒给内定接班的国家副主席习近平后,过渡时期的高层动态是否会让民族主义与反美势力更为猖獗?中国高层向来行事审慎,但一个既封闭但又包容冲突的压力(包括公众舆论)的政治体制下,专断、不认错与残酷好斗,或许是高层最佳的行事之道。胡锦涛本次访美,华府决策者也将密切观察北京权力转移的蛛丝马迹。! h& U `8 u$ x& ~! P1 D/ \7 C! [+ {
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本次胡奥会将对2011年的中美关系走势具有重要的指标意义