The view from the outside world

Nicola Casarini, research fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies

The new working rules and styles of China's new leadership are unexpected - but very welcome - news. If the new Chinese leadership is able to implement the changes, it will give substance to a declared, but sometimes rhetorical, wish to promote change. I think that this initiative will help in reducing the perceived distance between China's leaders and the people, as well as helping to boost China's image abroad.

There are now growing expectations that alongside new working rules and styles, the new Chinese leadership will be able to push forward economic and political reforms in earnest.

I think that Mr Xi and other high-level officials are aiming to reduce the perceived gap between those at the top and the Chinese masses. Moreover, they also want to project a different image of China abroad.

Will they succeed? It's difficult to answer now, but we do hope that they will. A successful implementation of these new working rules and styles will have consequences for both domestic and foreign policy.

Nicola Casarini was talking to Zhang Chunyan.

Lung Chi-ming, chairman of the HK Youth Exchange Promotion United Association

The seven-member Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee already set an example for ranking officials by going to a public function without clearing the streets for their motorcade or welcoming ceremony upon their arrival before the Rules of Eight Points were formally announced. This indicates the central leadership core is determined to implement the new rules from top down starting with themselves.

Lung Chi-ming published in Wen Wei Po.