GRS 2000 SECRET

FM PEKING

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 408

OF 130216Z MARCH 87

SECRET

Hib

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, TOKYO, WASHINGTON, MOSCOW OLO

INFO SAVING SHANGHAI

MY TELNO 173#

SUMMARY.

CHINA INTERNAL

IROD

До

PA

ECONOMIC ENERGIES IN

قد است

1. IT WAS DENG XIAOPING WHO DECIDED TO SACK HU YAORANG. BUT SOME **OLD REVOLUTIONARIES' AND (PERHAPS) ZHAO ZIYANG WERE INFLUENTIAL OVER THE DECISION. THE PURPOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION IS DRAW BOUNDARIES BEYOND WHICH DEBATE ABOUT POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC REFORM WILL NOT BE PERMITTED. REFORM WILL CONTINUE, BUT WITHOUT FRESH MEASURES. RELATION TO POLITICAL REFORM WILL BE DEVOTED TO PREPARING DOCUMENTS FOR IMPORTANT PARTY MEETINGS. DÊNG NOW SEEMS TO PRESIDE OVER A COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP WHICH IS NOT IDEOLOGICALLY HOMOGENEOUS. REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY WILL RE-ENTER CHINESE POLITICS. ZHAO ZIYANG WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE THE NEW SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE. A NEW PREMIER IS

NOT YET IN SIGHT.

2.

RU'S DISMISSAL.

IT

A GOOD DEAL OF NEW EVIDENCE ABOUT THE REASONS FOR HU'S ENFORCED

RESIGNATION HAS BECOME AVAILABLE DURING THE PAST MONTH, THIS SHOWS THAT THE CATALOGUE OF ERRORS', WHETHER OF LINE OR OF STYLE, OF WHICH HU HAS BEEN ACCUSED IS A LONG ONE, INDEED, SO LONG THAT IT

SMACKS OF RATIONALISATION. TWO OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS CHARGES

AGAINST HU ARE THAT HE ADVOCATED THE LIBERATION OF TAIWAN BY FORCE

AND THAT HE FAVOURED A RAPID RAPPROCHEMENT WITH THE SOVIET UNION.

THINK THAT THESE CHARGES MUST HAVE BEEN BUILT UP FROM THINGS SAID

LIGHTLY, OR EVEN IN JUST, IN INFORMAL CONVERSATION. THE SECOND OF

THEM IS CERTAINLY HARD TO RECONCILE WITH THE LINE ABOUT THE SOVIET

UNION WHICH HU TOOK WITH THE PRIME MINISTER IN LONDON LAST JUNE.

3. WHAT EVIDENCE DOES SHOW, I THINK, IS THAT SENIOR CONSERVATIVES

IN THE PARTY WERE MORE INFLUENTIAL OVER THE DECISION THAT HU IST GO

THEN WAS SUGGESTED IN PARAGRAPH 6 OF MY TUR. IT IS NOW PRETTY CLEAR

THAT THE OLD MEN (CHEN YUN, PENG ZHEN, BO YIBO, YANG SHANGKUN AND

WANG ZHEN) WERE WORKING AGAINST SOME OF WHAT HU STOOD FOR, IF NOT AGAINST HU HIMSELF, FOR YEARS RATHER THAN MONTHS BEFORE HIS

DISMISSAL AND THAT DENG FELT BOUND TO LISTEN TO THEM IN DECEMBER

BECAUSE OF THEIR CREDENTIALS AS OLD REVOLUTIONARIES''. IT IS ALSO

CLEAR THAT SOME OF THEM, PERHAPS ESPECIALLY WANG ZHEN, ARE NOW DOING

THEIR BEST TO GIVE THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION

QUITE A HARD EDGE.

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