Maybe not on economic policies in general and foreign policy, but certainly regarding human rights. Personally I would also differ quite a lot on the environment and welfare for the poor, minority policies etc. All in all, I don't believe you are right about this.
But like I said before Hu J. is not the worst of the bastards.
There's an ancient proverb that "the sky is high and the emperor is far". This means the Emperor in the Forbidden City (or the General Secretary in the Politburo) can issue any proclamation he wants; making it matter to anyone on the ground is an art in itself. The Chinese leader who had that political power was, well, Mao. It's very difficult to rein in polluting practices when a population double that of the United States and the EU combined is undergoing an industrial revolution. It's also very difficult (though some progress has been made under Hu) to implement a public welfare system when eight digits of bureaucrats hoping to enrich themselves are involved. In a nutshell, the entire leadership is corrupt and self-serving, but still understand they have to earn their legitimacy.
As for minorities, the Chinese state implements policies which not even the most cartoonishly "multi-culti" left-wing western government will dare to contemplate. It's been official policy that criminals of ethnic minority status will explicitly receive lighter punishments. Pig farms are unofficially forbidden in areas with a high proportion of Muslims. I have a friend, currently studying in Dortmund, who declared himself part of a mountain tribe (even though nothing otherwise distinguishes him) to take advantage of bonus points on the university entrance exams. Maybe this is what Anders Breivik was referring to as "cultural Marxism". A truly democratic Chinese government will change its policies towards minorities tomorrow.
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