China's Political Development: Chinese and American Perspectives

Preface

vii Acknowledgments This volume reflects an unusually wide-ranging collaborative effort, and we are deeply grateful to the many people whose support made it possible and whose determination and understanding have resulted in both Chinese and English editions. We want to express our special appreciation to the following. The Chinese and American authors of the individual chapters that make up this volume Chinese and American scholars first wrote their pieces for a conference in Beijing in October 2010, then did the editing necessary for publication of the volume in Chinese, and finally again reviewed and worked on additional changes to make the volume more accessible to an English-speaking audience. Some of the authors also participated in a follow-up Brookings conference on this topic in May 2011. The expertise, commitment, patience, and understanding of all the authors have been extraordinary. The China–United States Exchange Foundation provided financial support to the China Center for Comparative Politics and Economics, directed by Yu Keping, making this entire project possible, including the costs out of this English translation. We want to express our gratitude to the foundation itself and in particular to its chairman, Chee Hwa Tung, for his tireless efforts to improve the depth of understanding between China and the United States. The Brookings Institution has provided the ideal environment for bringing this project to fruition. Brookings Board Chairman John L. Thornton and President Strobe Talbott have encouraged in every way research, writing, and related activities at Brookings that increase the depth of understanding between Chinese and Americans. We owe a particular debt of gratitude to key leaders in the 00-2535-0 fm.indd 7 3/28/14 10:18 AM viii Acknowledgments Foreign Policy program and John L. Thornton China Center—Martin Indyk, Ted Piccone, Michael O’Hanlon, and Jonathan Pollack—for their encouragement and support. Thornton China Center staff Kevin Foley, Iris An, Teresa Hsu, Jordan Lee, and Robert O’Brien provided excellent logistical support for this project. Our thanks go to Andrew Marble, John Langdon, and Ryan McElveen for proofreading and editing, and especially Meara Androphy for editing, proofreading , and checking the translation and source citations. We very much benefitted from the hard work of Professor Yu’s research assistants, Yan Jian and He Zhe. Dr. He helped with the initial conference of the Chinese and American scholars in Beijing, and Dr. Yan was exceptionally helpful in coordinating contacts with the Chinese authors and in providing editorial assistance. Last but by no means least, the terrific team at the Brookings Press has been enormously helpful. We want in particular to thank Valentina Kalk, director; Rebecca Campany, marketing director; Larry Converse, production manager; Janet Walker, managing editor; Susan Woollen, art coordinator; and Katherine Kimball, copy editor. 00-2535-0 fm.indd 8 3/28/14 10:18 AM ...