Thus far, the latter is prevailing.
Excerpt from The Financial Times:
China’s new leaders on a short leash
When China’s new leaders walk out on stage a week from now, observers will try to divine the country’s future direction from the line-up.
But the opening of the Communist party’s 18th national congress on Thursday signaled that they will be on a short leash and that the party leadership may be in no mood for the one thing an increasing number of Chinese believe is necessary: decisive political reform.
Xi Jinping, the man expected to take over as party chief from Hu Jintao, sat through the entire session with his head bowed, underlining passages in the printout of the speech Mr Hu was giving.
Mr Hu spent much of his 90-minute address hammering home the leadership’s staunch commitment to cementing the party’s grip on power, reinforcing its control over society and passing down its ideological traditions.
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