Post-Games China to refocus on economy and stability

By Benjamin Kang Lim

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's leaders will breath a sigh of relief as the Beijing Olympics close, turning their attention back on the economy, keen to prevent any slowdown and possible unrest.

Stability remains the watchword in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China next year. Bold political reforms that could spell the end of the Communist Party's monopoly on power are not on the cards.

"The Olympics demonstrated the success of the current system and the Communist Party's determination not to reform politically. There is no reason to change," said a Chinese political commentator who requested anonymity.

President Hu Jintao has pledged to sustain rapid growth as the global economy weakens and as China copes with a plethora of problems, including inflationary pressures, income inequality, corruption, power shortages and pollution.

Some critics have likened the Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Berlin Games, predicting the world's most populous nation would become a bigger threat than Nazi Germany. Optimists hope China will learn from South Korea, hosts of the 1988 Games, and democratise.

Neither scenario appears likely.

China has sought to assure the West that its rise will not be a global threat and that it will not seek regional hegemony. Detractors are unconvinced.

But Hu lacks the revolutionary credentials of Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China, and is no strongman.