Government’s strides ignored

It baffles me that The Seattle Times would rely solely on the opinion of David Bachman for its assessment of China's new leadership [“China’s new dynasty,” Opinion, Nov. 19].

The China-U.S. relationship is often described as the essential global relationship for the coming century. Consequently we readers need balanced and informed opinion, and Bachman's view is not that.

Were there better choices than Xi Jinping for China's leader? Perhaps, though Bachman is not at pains to name them. But does China have “no apparent interest to confront domestic issues?” Obviously not.

By explicit statement of the present Chinese government, the corrupt “dynasty” to which Bachman refers, the single greatest threat to Chinese stability going forward is economic inequality and corruption.

Does the current leadership do “nothing” about this corruption? Ask Chen Liangyu, once a member of the all-powerful Politburo, now serving an 18-year sentence for corruption.

– Paul Manfredi, associate professor of Chinese, Pacific Lutheran University, Bellevue