Tracking China's Leadership Transition

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping walks past Chinese President Hu Jintao (front left), former Chinese President Jiang Zemin (front center) and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao (front right) during the opening session of the 18th Communist Party Congress held at the Great Hall of the People on November 8, 2012 in Beijing, China. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

As China begins its once-a-decade handover of power at the upper reaches of the Communist Party, Asia Society offers a range of perspectives on the 2012 transition between outgoing President Hu Jintao and President-to-be Xi Jinping. Scroll through the commentary, reportage, and videos below for insights into this opaque political process.

China's Leadership Change: A Paradox in Transition

Policy Asia Society's Orville Schell tells Asia Society members that China's government has a leadership "deficit."

November 21st by Farisa Khalid |

China's 18th Party Congress: Transition Delayed

Policy Asia Society Associate Fellow Steven Lewis says observers both inside and outside China were disappointed with a changing of the guard that may not bring much change.

November 16th by Steven Lewis |

Susan Shirk: Age Had Its Privileges at China's Eighteenth Party Congress

Policy How did China's self-interested ruling elite manage to agree on how power at the top would be shared?

November 16th by Susan Shirk |

Video: Since 2005, Sustained Rollbacks Have Stunted Legal Reform in China

Policy Fordham Law's Carl Minzner discusses the past, present, and future of legal reform in the modern developing Communist China.

November 15th by Boruo Chen |

Carl Minzner: The Future of Chinese Legal Reform

Carl Minzner traces the development of legal reform in China from the early 2000s to the present day.

November 15th by Tahiat Mahboob |

Peter Perdue: Continuity from Qing Dynasty to Today

Yale historian compares China's 18th Party Congress to the succession practices among the ruling Manchus during the Qing Dynasty.

November 15th by Tahiat Mahboob |

Photo of the Day: A Procession of Leaders in China

Multimedia Xi Jinping (foreground), China's new Communist Party General Secretary, waves with other members of the new Politburo Standing Committee in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on November 15, 2012. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

November 15th by Tahiat Mahboob |

Video: Yale Historian Sees Continuity Between Qing Dynasty, 18th Party Congress

Policy Historian Peter Perdue traces the parallels between Qing Dynasty practices and the 2012 18th Party Congress in Beijing.

November 14th by Jonathan Landreth |

Video: China's Leadership Must Deal With New Realities

Policy Richard Solomon states that in some ways, China's society and economy have outgrown its political system.

November 14th by Liz Flora |

J. Michael Evans: A Reform Agenda for China

J. Michael Evans sees economic rebalancing, U.S.-China relations, and challenges to the legitimacy of one-party rule as the biggest priorities facing China's new leaders.

November 14th by Jeff Tompkins |