China's Hu Pledges Reform with Party in Charge

China will press ahead with political reform in the face of growing social pressures but only with the Communist Party firmly in charge, President Hu Jintao said on Monday at the start of the Party's biggest meeting in five years.

Hu repeated concerns about the growing gap between rich and poor, a flashpoint for social unrest and a problem serious enough that analysts said it may spur tentative political reforms.

"His comment on enhancing ways that citizens can be involved suggests that one of the ways in which you enhance stability is by getting citizens more involved in politics," said David Zweig, of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"If that's linked to his concern for social stability then that says that over the next five years we may see some more experiments in popular participation."

(Boston Globe)