Analysts look for clues in leaders' family albums
The release of personal photos shows party chiefs in a new light. Could it be the start of a campaign to make them declare their assets? Opinion is divided
The release of personal photographs and profiles of the Communist Party's top leaders is being seen as a step towards increased openness. But analysts are divided about whether it represents a starting point for reforms that will require officials to declare their own and families' personal assets.
In the latest salvo in a charm offensive dating back to mid-November, the seven members of the party's new Politburo Standing Committee gave the public a rare glimpse of their personal and family lives, with state media releasing photographs and details of their families, breaking the long-held taboo that such information is a state secret. For three days from Sunday, the state-run Xinhua news agency released collections of photos of the seven men, including party general secretary and president-in-waiting Xi Jinping and premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang. The profiles chronicled the men's careers, from their early days working at the grass roots, with rare snapshots that traced their jobs and family lives.
Johnny Lau Yui-siu, a China watcher and commentator, said the charm offensive was designed to make the leaders "look more human, down-to-earth and closer to the people".
"The photo release shows the new leaders' determination to win the hearts and minds of the people," Lau added.
Ma Guoxian , a political affairs analyst at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, said: "The purpose of the photos was to portray the leaders as ordinary people, as common, in an effort to narrow the distance between them, the rulers, and the ruled."
The profiles were the first time state media mentioned Xi's and Li's family members, including Xi's folk-singer wife, Peng Liyuan , and their daughter, and Li's wife Cheng Hong , a professor of English at Capital University of Economics and Business, and their daughter. The reports failed to mention that both men's daughters are studying in the United States, with Xi's daughter at Harvard.
Gu Su , a political analyst and professor of constitutional law at Nanjing University, said the reports were designed to quell anger at officials' corruption and ill-gotten gains.