ARTICLE: “A Hint of the Future China? One city pioneers socialist democracy,” by Edward Cody, Washington Post National Weekly Edition, 7-13 July 2008, p. 21.

Local CCP leaders draft reform plan: expanded powers for local legislature, direct elections for some local officials, more independent judiciary, greater glasnost within the party itself. Training wheels, my friends, by a lead goose in the Chinese system—Shenzhen. No surprise, because this is a city/region furthest along and most mature in the economic transformation started by Deng. The process:

Shenzhen’s experiment was drafted over three months by 24 specialized teams assigned by the city party secretary, Liu Yupu, to produce a “breakthrough” reform plan that would turn Shenzhen into “a model city for socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Shenzhen party leaders formally approved it June 6.

One Chinese reform expert said is was a momentous move, basically “gathering in one document various ideas for reform that have arisen in the party in recent years but have never been carried out” (journalist paraphrasing source, Huang Weiping, head of Contemporary Chinese Politics Research Institute in Shenzhen). Direct quote; “And this is the first time that the goals of ‘socialist democracy’ and ‘rule of law’ are at the very top of the list.” Shenzhen, the article says, is proud to have played a lead role early on in Deng’s economic reforms, and now the leadership feels it’s natural for Shenzhen to once again lead on political reforms. Simply put, the next generation wants to turn the knob yet again.