The Hu's in control edition...

• The 88s looks at President Hu's limited control of the levers of power in the CCP.
• Is China heading for a social 'red alert'?
• One year in power for Indonesia's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Jakartass also takes a look at SBY's first year.
• Look out iPod, it's ChinesePod. Most worrying is the new linguistic craze to append "pod".
• The theory and reality of understanding Chinese (and American) politics.
• Tom isn't impressed with the proposed Hong Kong democracy reforms. Hemlock's got a more optimistic take that's closer to the truth (reproduced below the jump). This proposal is the best Hong Kong could realistically expect to get away with.
• Traffic as a metaphor for China's development.
• A "clarification" of Chinese investment regulations.
• Asia fluffs the 2005 corruption index.
• The Budding Sinologist returns fire over Michael Turton's Taiwan invasion piece.
• You think your petrol bills are going up? Burma's jumped 1000%.
• China's changing consumer credit markets.
• An updated list of Bangladeshi blogs.
• The real implications of the Landwind safety issue.
• Will on bird flu, panic and PR.
• I know a couple of people who are giong to love this: Sun Tzu and fourth generation warfare.
• The US Embassy, Beijing, June 1989.
• (16:50) Punishing China - blame the dragon, slay the ogre.
• How hard is it to find a mate in Beijing? I think that's mate in the biblical sense, not Australian slang sense.
• The dangers of one-party control....in a U.S. democracy. And a big hi to everyone in Singapore and China.
• Taiwan's lawmakers take their antics to the next step...the president's home.
• A side-by-side comparison of ESWN and China Daily's translation of the Panyu district government's Q&A on Taishi. It's a clear case of student-style plagarisism.

Beijing issues a white paper declaring that there will be no barbarian-style democracy so long as the Chinese Communist Party stands. And maybe that goes for the Big Lychee too, judging by the Hong Kong Government’s exciting proposed constitutional reforms, released – by one of those uncanny, cosmic coincidences – on the same day.

The Big Boss briefs the morning meeting, reading from his Government-issued Line-to-Take, which is designed to counter pro-democrats’ claims that the proposals are insultingly lame. “On the subject of a timetable,” our pro-Donald Chairman intones, “it’s basically a matter of timing.” He looks up to survey the bemused faces of his senior management team. What the hell does that mean? “We first have to create favourable conditions and have all the building blocks in place,” he goes on, “like grooming political talent and um…” He looks down at the sheet of paper again and skips a couple of bullet points. “Oh yes – we can’t exclude appointed District Councillors from all of this because they have the same responsibilities as elected ones, and it would be unfair to discriminate against them.” He looks up again, as if to plead for understanding. He didn’t think this stuff up. “And, um, these proposals are firmly grounded on public views,” he reads out, “and represent a major step towards the ultimate aim of universal suffrage.” He shrugs slightly as he puts the paper down. “You’d have though they could come up with better arguments,” he admits.

The problem, it occurs to me, is that the most effective arguments would provoke opposition from the other side of the political spectrum, and maybe even to our north. The logic of the proposals is that the days of the small-circle functional constituencies are drawing to a close. Ship owners, dentists, employers, construction firms and other groups demanding a rotten borough in the legislature were snubbed. The new functional constituencies will be elected – albeit indirectly – by the people, diluting the influence of the corporate electors. Chris Patten would probably approve. But the Government can’t stress this, because it needs a two-thirds majority in Legco – the votes of odious Liberal Party boss James Tien and his cartel representative friends – to get the package through. In order to get the turkeys to vote for Christmas, the Government can’t talk up Christmas, leaving the pro-democrats looking at the gloomy side of the festival.