China's Leaders Taken To Task Options

[Kulong]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/...lumn/index.html

China's leaders taken to task

by Willy Lam for CNN
Monday, March 8, 2004 Posted: 0410 GMT (1210 HKT)

HONG KONG, China -- Balance, not rapid growth, is the central theme of this year's session of China's National People's Congress.

Yet the leadership of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao has already been taken to task for its so-called "scientific theory of development."

While China's economy expanded by an exuberant 9.1 percent in 2003, Wen said in his much-awaited government work report Friday the target for this year would only be a modest 7 percent.

This year, authorities are placing much more focus on balancing the needs and aspirations of different sectors and regions -- particularly the poor and the disadvantaged.

In line with the new "putting people first" credo, Wen has given special dispensations to peasants, rural laborers working in cities, and the estimated 30 million Chinese living below the poverty line.

The cost of cutting agricultural taxes, setting up employment programs and a more comprehensive social security system, as well as improving rural health care and education facilities is seen adding up to a gargantuan 196 billion yuan.

Wen has received high marks from academics who have faulted previous leaders such as ex-president Jiang Zemin and ex-premier Zhu Rongji for putting GDP growth way above the wellbeing of the masses.

As Chinese Academy of Social Sciences sociologist Lu Xueyi pointed out, "Beijing has always stressed the importance of 'walking on two legs;' yet it is clear that one leg -- economic growth -- is longer than the other, which is social [well-being]."

Wen's even-handed approach to modernization has won the support of the nearly 3,000 parliamentarians, who hail from all of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and directly administered cities across China.

As the 61-year-old head of government noted in his work report: Beijing's goal is to "foster interaction between east, central and west, and to encourage give and take, synergy and cooperative development [among the three regions]."

Wen and his ministers have made clear that the bulk of state investments will henceforward go to the rural central and western provinces -- as well as the three rust-belt northeast provinces.

But deputies from the rich coastal belt, particularly the greater Shanghai region, have expressed fears the erstwhile "dragonhead of growth" will have to slow down to fit Beijing's egalitarian concerns.

A number of officials and deputies in Shanghai have criticized the Hu-Wen team for deviating from ex-president Jiang's now-famous "Theory of the Three Represents," which essentially says that the Communist Party should represent the "foremost" production forces and the most advanced culture.

"Hu and Wen have given top billing to the needs of farmers and jobless workers -- who can't be said to be spearheading the most sophisticated productivity or culture," said a Shanghai-based economist.

Some Shanghai officials have dubbed Wen "pinmin premier" ("premier of poor people") instead of "pingmin premier" ("people's premier"), which is what his admirers call him.

Another gaping hole in the 16,000-character report is that it has failed to strike a balance between economic and political reform.

To the credit of the Hu-Wen administration, the Fourth Generation leaders have paid much more attention than their predecessors to the rule by law and supervision by the masses.

A major thrust of the Hu-Wen team's statecraft is contained in this slogan: "Responsibility comes with power; the exercise of power must be subject to supervision; and compensation must be paid when infringing upon the rights [of the people]."

In his work report, the premier also laid a lot of store in supervision by the people's deputies, intellectuals, ordinary folks, as well as the media.

In terms of the mechanisms of governance, the Hu-Wen group has played up "democratic and scientific decision-making," meaning collective decision-making based on thorough consultation with a broad range of experts.

Yet Wen's NPC report has no reference to the possibility of real political reform such as expanding village-level elections to higher administrative levels.

This is despite Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's assertion last weekend it was a "big mistake" to think Beijing was not interested in people's democratic rights.

In addresses to NPC members, Hu, Wen and other cadres have waxed eloquent on the need to promote "structural and systemic innovation" in addition to new ways of thinking.

However, parts of Wen's NPC report hacked back to old norms championed by Deng Xiaoping and Mao Zedong, such as taking "maintenance of socio-political stability as the over-riding task" of the party and state.

Given the growing instances of disgruntled workers and peasants venting their frustrations through detonating bombs and other quasi-terrorist means, the Hu-Wen leadership has ordered the police and the para-military People's Armed Police to nib all agents of instability in the bud.

Wen even revived Chairman Mao's old slogan of "the union of soldiers and the people" as well as the fusion of the needs of peace and war.

The new leadership's hyper-nervousness about losing control is also reflected in its recent hard line on political developments in Taiwan, and especially in Hong Kong.

While Hu and Wen have in the past week wisely kept their pronouncements on Taiwan and Hong Kong to a minimum, it is quite clear the imperative of one-party domination has got the better of new ways of thinking as well as "democratic and scientific decision-making."

Nearly 3,000 delegates are attending China's annual session of parliament in Beijing.


Some officials in Shanghai have expressed concern at the emphasis on farmers.

[huaren]

I like Shanghai city.

[Kulong]

I like Shanghai city.

I love it.

[DAI_VIET]

Is that the article about the President of China urging Chinese Congress to help the poor farmers? That's great. As far as I know, that Chinese president is one of the best president for the Chinese people.

[SiLvErStArDuSt]

I'm not gonna say anything abt this guy b/c I know like nothing abt him, but Parade Magazine named Hu Jintao the 3rd worst dictator in the world.

NK's president Kim Il Jung (or something like that... -_-') was first.

[Kulong]

Is that the article about the President of China urging Chinese Congress to help the poor farmers? That's great. As far as I know, that Chinese president is one of the best president for the Chinese people.

I don't believe this is the CNN article that focuses on President Hu Jintao urging the Chinese People's Congress to give financial aid to farmers and those who live below the poverty line. But I read that article a couple of days ago.

Yes, I am loving President Hu, Premier Wen and the whole Fourth Generation. China has suffered greatly under its previous leaders, namely Mao but I won't sound like anti-China U.S. propaganda and say that EVERYTHING Mao did was "evil".

With the younger, better-eduated, and more open-minded Fourth Generation in charge, China's future is quite bright. I just hope the older generation would start to let go of their tight grips *ahem* Jiang Zemin *ahem* so that the Fourth Generation can do their job as good as they can.

[chynagongju]

I agree. I think Hu Jintao is doing great. Silver. any info on WHY they said he was the 3rd worst dictator? Do they have any facts to support that at all?

[Hyena]

I like Shanghai city.

I love it.

shanghai looks amazing. when my uncle came back from his trip to china he would keep raving about how great the city of shanghai is and how he'd live there than in any other city in the world.

[Kulong]

I like Shanghai city.

I love it.

shanghai looks amazing. when my uncle came back from his trip to china he would keep raving about how great the city of shanghai is and how he'd live there than in any other city in the world.

I loved Shanghai too. I hope to eventually get a career opportunity there.

You are Korean right? There is a Korean community in Shanghai. A little "Koreantown" with many Korean businesses and restaurants.

[直隸總督]

I agree. I think Hu Jintao is doing great. Silver. any info on WHY they said he was the 3rd worst dictator? Do they have any facts to support that at all?

I actually have a positive view on Hu Jingtao. However, Jiang Zeming is still the head of the Chinese military committee, he controls 2.8 million troops. Hu can't even have his own body gaurds. Besides, Zeng Qinghong's attitude is also an important factor, but he's a shifty guy.

[SiLvErStArDuSt]

They said some stuff, but the one that sticks out in my head is that he kills people and puts them in jail. I threw the article away b/c it was pissing my dad off and he scares me. I'll do a search for it online and see what I can find.

Parade

Alright, I found it.

This is what it says about Hu JunTao:

3. Hu Jintao, China.
Age 61. In power since 2002.
Last year’s rank: Dishonorable mention.

Hu spent 38 years moving up the Communist Party hierarchy, proving himself efficient and willing to do whatever was necessary to advance himself. Now, as president and general secretary of the party, Hu is the leader of an unusually repressive regime. Apologists point to China’s economic liberalization and say its human-rights situation “is better than it used to be.” However, the party still controls all media and uses 30,000 “Internet security agents” to monitor online use. More than 300,000 Chinese are serving “re-education” sentences in labor camps. China carries out in excess of 4000 executions a year, more than all other nations combined.

This post has been edited by SiLvErStArDuSt: Mar 9 2004, 04:05 PM

[Doan Du]

Washington Post

Beijing - China amended its constitution Sunday to include formal guarantees of human rights and private property, laying down new markers in the nation's swift march away rom the doctrinaire communism of its founders.

Although both steps were pushed by the ruling Communist Party, their effect on the lives of Chinese people still depends on how they are carried out by what remains an authoritarian, one-party government that allows no challenge to its rule.

Nevertheless, Chinese specialists said, the guarantees signaled the direction China's leaders intend to steer the country in the years ahead and provide a legal framework for sweeping changes that have already taken place in the past two decades.

The two measures were passed in a nearly unanimous vote by the National People's Congress, China's 2,904-member legislative assembly, on the final day of its 10-day annual meeting.

-Washington Post

[Kulong]

Washington Post

Beijing - China amended its constitution Sunday to include formal guarantees of human rights and private property, laying down new markers in the nation's swift march away rom the doctrinaire communism of its founders.

Although both steps were pushed by the ruling Communist Party, their effect on the lives of Chinese people still depends on how they are carried out by what remains an authoritarian, one-party government that allows no challenge to its rule.

Nevertheless, Chinese specialists said, the guarantees signaled the direction China's leaders intend to steer the country in the years ahead and provide a legal framework for sweeping changes that have already taken place in the past two decades.

The two measures were passed in a nearly unanimous vote by the National People's Congress, China's 2,904-member legislative assembly, on the final day of its 10-day annual meeting.

-Washington Post

Typical U.S. propaganda formula:

Something good happened in China. But it may not be that good, heck it may even be bad because of (insert excuse here).