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5.
On a lighter note, but one not without its significance in the wider context, the Ministries of Culture and Public Security and the State Administration of Industry and Commerce issued a notice recently to the effect that cultural and recreational centres, hotels and exhibition halls could now be used for commercially-run dances whose tickets were on sale to the masses. Given the general horror and suspicion with which the Chinese authorities usually regard dancing this is a
It cannot have been welcome sign of liberal feeling. entirely accidental that the China Law Journal (Zhongguo Fazhi Bao) published this story sandwiched between the remarks of Ai Zhisheng and Ren Wuzhi both of which were headlined "Opposition to bourgeois liberalism will not affect ..."
Comment
6.
In terms of policy implementation the remarks by Luo Gan are perhaps the most significant, but it will be heartening reformers generally to see such a diverse range of policies and ideas being officially declared correct. Such actions should serve to reinforce the calming and reassuring effect of measured statements such as those by Zhao Ziyang to the US academic, William Miller, on 24 February where he repeated his balanced formulation that the struggle against bourgeois liberalisation would not affect reform, the open door or invigorating the economy, just as these would not affect the Party's leadership or the socialist system. Nonetheless, the reformers are far from out of the woods. These remarks would not have needed to be made did they not
It is one thing feel vulnerable on all the issues raised.
to say that there will be no affect on policy, it is quite another thing to be sure that deeds can match the words. There is still a considerable head of steam behind those with more conservative leanings. Even in the central press the signs do not all point in one direction, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict just how the debates will resolve themselves.
Yavos coar
&
Rod Wye
First Secretary
CC