Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) The abilities and experience of the next generation of political leaders on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would be key to future relations, a scholar said Tuesday in Taipei following indications of Vice President Xi Jinping as likely successor to China's incumbent President Hu Jintao.
Xi was appointed Monday as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission at the fifth plenary session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He and other members of the party's "fifth generation" had been cultivated for decades as potential leaders, said Alexander Huang, a professor at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies.
Huang's comments came during a discussion that followed a live webcast that featured the United States Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman and was hosted by the U.S.-based National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Local scholars, journalists and business leaders were invited to the Taipei discussion by the local American Chamber of Commerce, which organized the event.
Huang predicted this new generation would be tough in its negotiations with Taiwan and the U.S., because they grew up in the era of Red Guards and the Cultural Revolution, and had experienced posts at different levels of government before taking on greater responsibility.
This was a different picture from that in Taiwan, which was characterized by a shorter career span for government officials, especially at Cabinet level, Huang said. He predicted that Taiwan's next president would probably be one of the five special municipality mayors who would be elected in November.
Huang said he was not against a democratic system, but worried that Taiwan's future leaders could lack the time and experience needed to train them to a higher level.
Speaking at the same occasion, Bruce J.D. Linghu, director-general of the Department of North American Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he was optimistic about the quality of Taiwan's leaders.
"The current leaders are highly-educated and full of democratic ideas. I believe they will have no problems dealing with their rivals across the strait. But for the next generation of leaders, I'm not quite sure, " Linghu said.
In the 45-minute webcast, Huntsman talked about various issues including the strategic mistrust and potential currency war between the U.S. and China, as well as U.S. concern for Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's well-being. (By Chris Wang) enditem/MH