Chosen by Deng Xiaoping after the Tiananmen massacre, Jiang does not look to be that leader. At Williamsburg and Philadelphia, Jiang set foot on what, for Americans, is the sacred soil of human liberty but showed no indication that he understood the true significance of these sites. President Clinton, on his best behavior, could not restrain the desire to inject some substance into the sham. Later, in New York, Jiang spoke of freedom and democracy and progress but without specifics, without timetables, without even a hint that he or Li Peng or any of the top leaders might actually be willing to face an electorate. On the specifics of such pressing issues as the law of property, the exact methods by which enterprises will be privatized, and other reforms promised in the abstract, he said not a word.
China today faces great problems and great possibilities.
It would be astonishing, indeed miraculous, if Jiang Zemin were that leader. Like his colleagues, Jiang has risen through the Communist Party hierarchy, groomed and advanced by his superiors alone. He has no authentic or durable mandate. Only by opening itself to ideas, to debate, to the contribution of all its people can China truly recapture its historic destiny. China may cry out for a leader, but the most we can say about Jiang, if his trip is any indication, is that he seems to be a good and enthusiastic tourist.