Open letter shows China's rift

The Baltimore Sun

BEIJING -- A rare open letter signed by 17 former top officials and conservative Marxist scholars before a key Communist Party meeting accuses China's top leaders of steering the country in the wrong direction, pandering to foreigners, betraying the workers' revolution and jeopardizing social stability.

"We're going down an evil road," said the letter posted on the Web site Mao Zedong's Flag. "The whole country is at a most precarious time."

The challenge is unusual both for the importance of its signatories and for its timing during the time leading up to this fall's Party Congress -- an event held once every five years and a key date on the political calendar.

Most public dissent in China generally comes from the embattled ranks of human rights activists and minority religious groups who seek to lessen the party's power. By contrast, those who affixed their names to this document included former government ministers, a former ambassador to Russia, ex-army officers and former academics from elite universities and think tanks.

The policies advocated by those signing the letter include a reversal of law passed this year that allows private ownership of property, reversal of rules that allow entrepreneurs to join the Communist Party, sharp restrictions on foreign investment, an end to privatization of state assets and a renewed emphasis on Marxist campaigns and education.

The party's focus on economic liberalization has led to a dangerous mix of widespread corruption, unemployment, the growing wealth gap and potential social unrest, the letter's authors argue. If China continues down this path, the letter said, the country will soon "have its own Boris Yeltsin" and "the demise of the party and country would loom."

The letter gives an unusual look at divisions within the upper ranks of the party. "This is probably the first time so many high-ranking people have spoken out like this," said He Husheng, a professor of party history with People's University.

The seven-page letter appeared on a Web site late last week, about two weeks after a key speech by President Hu Jintao that appeared to be aimed at silencing critics within the party.

"This shows that the disagreement within the party over reform is pretty big and perhaps getting bigger," said Wang Yukai, a professor with the National School of Administration in Beijing.

The letter, addressed to Hu and the party's Central Committee, targets in particular capitalists and foreigners who have flourished under policies that the writers said had eroded socialism, equality and fairness.

The writers also urged competitive internal elections for central party members and the party secretary, a sign of the group's displeasure with the Hu leadership.

The Chinese Communist Party has traditionally handed down policies fully formed in keeping with its preferred image as an all-knowing, unified, paternalistic organization.

As China has become a more diverse society and the Internet has pushed censorship boundaries, however, the leadership has been forced increasingly to contend with, and respond and adapt to public opinion.

Experts said the 17 signatories of the letter sought to influence top leaders through internal party channels but were rebuffed and decided to go public. The letter by itself is unlikely to alter party ideology, they said. But it could intensify divisions already in place.

"These guys want to turn back the clock, but that's impossible," said the National School of Administration's Wang. "I wouldn't say they're bad people But we must move forward."

Mark Magnier writes for the Los Angeles Times.

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