"Inner-Party democracy is the life of the party," enthused China's former president, Jiang Zemin, as he prepared to hand over to Hu Jintao seven years ago. It could, he said, promote democracy in the country as a whole. But Mr Hu's cautious experiments with reform inside the party appear to have fizzled. So too, it seems, has his own commitment to the idea.rnRhetorically at least, Mr Hu had shown more enthusiasm for reform than did Mr Jiang who, as party chief from 1989 to 2002, made no obvious effort to change the party's top-down dictatorial style. But in September Mr Hu dropped a not-so-subtle hint of his own reservations, emphasising the principle of "centralism"-which means upholding party decisions without dissent. The party's own literature, especially that intended for official readership, suggests his reforms have often resulted in more pointless rubber-stamp meetings, confusion and disillusionment. They have also been a drain on government funds.
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