The Technocratic Trend and Its Implication in China By

Since the early 1980’s, the post-Mao China has been governed by three generations of technocratic leadership. As a result of massive elite transformation under new leadership of Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s, technocrats emerged at the core leadership of the Chinese Communist Party in China. In fact, China is now governed more and more by men who trained in higher education in science and engineering fields. Full-fledged technocratic leadership is firmly established in Chinese politics. During the past two decades, however, three successive generations of this technocratic leadership in China, specifically described as ‘the engineers-turned-politicians, ’ have promoted the national economic growth and led to modernization. This technocratic trend embedded in Chinese politics now has important implications for social, environmental, and political issues emerging in China today. At the same time, it also raises the questions for future Chinese leadership and its accompanying effects