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Editorial. Comments on the issues around the consolidation of power by Chinese Communist Party chief Hu Jintao. Former party leader Jiang Zemin's ceding of effective command of the armed forces to Hu; Arrest of Chinese journalist Zhao Yan out of suspicion that he had helped a “New York Times” reporter get an advance report that Jiang was about to retire; Hu's tightening of media controls.

Focuses on the Chinese publication "Caijing," a business journal published twice monthly and reports on government and corporate corruption. Comments from the journal's editor, Hu Shuli, regarding never crossing the line that will prompt the government to close down the publication; Reasons why the Chinese government is granting greater latitude and press freedoms to business news outlets and media; Comments from Western observers regarding the journal, suggesting it is the best at what it does in China yet has toned down its investigations into government practices; Exposé's published in "Caijing" that received widespread attention China.

BEIJING -- In a country where the press is tightly managed by the state, the identical editorials that appeared Monday in more than a dozen publications calling for reform of China's onerous household registration system were noteworthy. ''China has suffered for a long time under the hukou system!'' the editorials declared, using the Chinese term for the residency permits that tie government benefits to a person's registered hometown. ''We believe in people born to be free and people possessing the right to migrate freely!'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reports that a conflict between supporters of President Hu Jintao and his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, has exposed tensions within China's top leadership. Influence of Jiang Zemin; Political implications of growing tensions between Jiang Zemin and supporters of Hu Jintao; Issue of openness in the government-controlled press; Views of analysts; Struggles for political advantage; Topic of political loyalty.