The Congressional-Executive Commission on China will held another in its series of staff-led Issues Roundtables, entitled "Political Change in China? Public Participation and Local Governance Reforms" on Monday, May 15, from 10-11:30 AM in Room 2255 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Chinese citizens want a voice in the decisions that affect their lives, and some activists have publicly called for change. Environmental activists have challenged the government on hydroelectric and other infrastructure projects, intellectuals have submitted petitions criticizing authoritarian policies, and rural farmers are forming associations to protect their collective interests. Chinese officials use regulations and harsh prison terms to suppress any direct criticism of government leaders or the Communist Party's rule, but the government is experimenting with some limited governance reforms. These reforms seek limited expansion of citizen political participation at the local level, while giving the Party new tools to govern a rapidly changing China.

This Roundtable will reviewed Chinese citizen demands for greater political participation, examined official Chinese efforts at limited reform, and considered whether these trends offer any possibility for meaningful political change in China.

The panelists were:

Merle Goldman, Professor Emerita of Chinese History, Boston University and Executive Committee Member, Fairbank Center for East Asian Research, Harvard University. Professor Goldman is the author of numerous books and articles on Chinese politics and citizen political participation in China, including her most recent book, From Comrade to Citizen: the Struggle for Political Rights in China (2005). Other works include Sowing the Seeds of Democracy in China: Political Reform in the Deng Xiaoping Decade (1994) and China's Intellectuals: Advise and Dissent (1981). In addition to teaching at Boston University, Professor Goldman serves as an adjunct professor at the U.S. State Department's Foreign Service Institute.

Joseph Fewsmith, Director of East Asian Studies Program and Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Boston University. Professor Fewsmith is the author of numerous books and articles on Chinese politics and political reforms, including China Since Tiananmen: The Politics of Transition (2001), Elite Politics in Contemporary China (2001), and The Dilemmas of Reform in China: Political Conflict and Economic Debate (1994).

Xie Gang, Former Senior Program Officer, Law and Governance Programs, Asia Foundation. Mr. Xie has managed and supervised Asia Foundation projects in mainland China for the past six years. The Asia Foundation conducts projects in China directed at improving rural governance, government accountability, legal reform, and the conditions facing migrant women workers.