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Since the June 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen democracy movement, the Chinese people have shown a deep ambivalence about liberal democracy and U.S. efforts to promote democratization. The emerging middle class that many Americans expect to be clamoring for political change is actually echoing the Chinese government"s refrain that China must focus on economic development and avoid democratization"s destabilizing effects. The Chinese leadership shows little interest in democracy, and no organized political movement has emerged to challenge the Communist Party"s rule.

What explains the simultaneous development of antidemocratic and anti-American sentiment in China? What can the United States do to change Chinese public opinion about democracy? Who will lead a new democracy movement in China? How can the United States identify and support such leaders? On March 24, AEI will hold a half-day conference to answer these and other questions as part of an ongoing series, "Whither Democracy in China?"