英文摘要 |
Amid the shadow of a major political scandal and the blessing of growing national capacity, Xi Jinping assumed the leadership of China. Observers of Chinese politics are watching closely to figure out the prospects of China's human rights politics in the Xi era. This article predicts the Xi Jinping administration's human rights policy by critically investigating the evolution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime's concept of human rights and its policy on human rights in three consecutive-yet respective-periods: the 1980s, the Jiang Zemin era (1989-2002), and the Hu Jintao era (2002-2012). The articles is attentive to two explanatory variables: the CCP leadership's official perception of the idea of human rights, and human rights policy / institutions established by the CCP regime in each respective period of time. The article further holds the view that under the buzzword of 'China dream', the Xi Jinping administration has raised social and international expectation on the rule-of-law reform, which indirectly improves citizens' social, economic and partially civil rights, but not political rights. Furthermore, the article argues that Xi's seemingly enlightened policy is not meant for the improvement of human rights per se, but more for the CCP's permanent rule. In conclusion, the article attempts to overcome the current event-driven approach of studies on Chinese human rights by identifying eight administrative measures that may be adopted in the near future, if the Xi Jinping government is serious about making progress in human rights governance. |