CONFIDENTIAL
9. There must however be some new Party appointments;
a new Central Committee who will elect a new Politburo, a
new Standing Committee of that Politburo (normally the
five or six most powerful men in China), and a
General Secretary. There have been several names mooted
recently for different Party, and also State, jobs. This
suggests there are no obvious favourites. There is also
increasing speculation that senior posts are likely to go to older rather than younger men, perhaps in an interim,
caretaker role until a more solid and clear-cut consensus
can be achieved. In any case, those chosen will need to
wield power on the basis of carefully constructed political support.
10.
Political debate in China will continue well past
the autumn.
R
R Fletcher-Cooke
We have been able to use this timely Despatch in drafting the short paper which the Secretary of State wished to send to his Cabinet colleagues
J. F. Confeld
J T Masefield
FC7AAU
CONFIDENTIAL