In China the underworld and officialdom have interpenetrated and become one. Criminal elements have become officialized as officials have become criminalized.
Liu XiaoboChina after Olympics will progress very slowly. But the demands for freedom - on the part of ordinary people but also party members - won't be as easy to contain.
Liu XiaoboI can't imagine here would be a Chinese Gorbachev. But the party will gradually open up. For instance, it has already set a time limit for political reforms in Hong Kong. And in four years time, there won't be a strongman to name the General Secretary at the party congress. That means that the various factions will have to develop better rules for naming their leader. But there won't be a timeline for political reform.
Liu Xiaobo