5 Aug 89
FE/0527 B2/2
summarised into "supporting Zhao through overthrowing Deng". In their own words, the central policy for economic rectification and improvement represented "retrogression" and the criticism of Zhao Ziyang's mistakes inside and outside the party would lead to the "danger" of "ruining all the achievements of reform”. If Zhao Ziyang did step down, then China's socio-economic development would face a situation of "stagnation". So they must oppose "non-procedural power changes." The word "non-procedural" reflected their intention, and should be particularly noticed. This was no longer any academic discussion, but an out-and-out political mobilisation.
At the same time, Yan Jiaqi recommended a set of so- called "procedures". In November 1988, he spoke to Shijie Jingji Daobao', calling on people to give up the four cardinal principles and stop the struggle against bourgeois liberalisation and spiritual pollution. He attributed the root cause of corruption to public ownership, and called for "actively developing private ownership". Through discussing the CPSU history, he called for "disbanding the Political Bureau" of the Party Central Committee and establishing a set of so-called Washington-style political procedures. In February 1989, he again talked about "the necessity of disbanding the CCP central political bureau” when giving a lecture in Japan. In short, what he pursued and advocated was the Western political structure with the socialist system and the leading position of the communist party abolished. A certain youth magazine also published an interview with him in its second issue of this year, in which he peddled his political "procedures" for revising the PRC constitution, reorganising state power and selecting state leaders. What would be done if his "procedures" could not be put into practice? He said that "then, some non-procedural actions will be taken, and people may, for example, resort to violence and turmoil"! Please notice Yan Jiaqi then changed his position from opposing the "non-procedural" moves to instigating the "non-procedural" moves. His activities echo those of the "new enlightenment salon" organised by Fang Lizhi and company, The petition initiated by Chen Jun, the agitating speeches by Ge Yang and other people, the rallies held by Li Shuxian and Wang Dan and the various posters in some university campuses in Peking that attacked the party and the socialist system. They all made direct opinion-forming and organisational preparations for the turmoil.
After Comrade Hu Yaobang died on 15th April, a very small number of people immediately took advantage of this opportunity to stir up student unrest and create the turmoil. Among many political slogans being shouted during the demonstrations and the actions of storming Xinhua Gate, the most important were these two: To "rehabilitate" the reputation of Comrade Hu Yaobang and to thoroughly negate the struggle against bourgeois liberalisation. Yan Jiaqi tightly grasped these two points when giving advice and fanning up the people.
On 19th April, ‘Shijie Jingji Daobao' and 'Xinguancha' held a forum in Peking which was attended by some public figures. At this meeting, quite a few people directed the spearhead of the attack at the central authorities. In his speech Yan Jiaqi said: "If only we go to Tiananmen Square and have
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a look, we shall see that they demand nothing but a just appraisal of Yaobang and of some movements in 1986.” “On Tiananmen Square I have seen the prospects and hopes of China." Not only did he clinch his point by summing up two substantive slogans and turning them into an action programme in the early period of the turmoil, but he also directly applauded the illegal demonstrations and fanned the flames of turmoil. On 21st April, at Bao Tong's suggestion, he and Bao Zunxin put up an “Open Letter to the CCP Central Committee, the National People's Congress Standing Committee and the State Council”, demanding that the central authorities should acknowledge that the demands raised during the demonstrations and sit-ins were "positive" “democratic demands” and exerting pressure on the central authorities. Bao Zunxin later told a reporter of Hongkong's 'Pai Hsing' magazine that the letter had "greatly inspired the students".
After the important editorial of 'Renmin Ribao' was published on 26th April, in line with the central spirit, the Shanghai municipal CCP committee made a decision on reorganising 'Shijie Jingji Daobao'. But this was censured by Comrade Zhao Ziyang. On 4th May he delivered a “speech at the meeting of the Asian Development Bank”, instructed on 6th May that it was necessary to further increase "openness” in reporting the student unrest and, in his talk at a meeting with Gorbachev on 16th May, again made the target of attack Comrade Deng Xiaoping. At this stage, in line with the spirit of what Zhao Ziyang had said, Yan Jiaqi concentrated his attacks on the 26th April editorial, the decision of the Shanghai municipal CCP committee and on Comrade Deng Xiaoping, and plotted the constant escalation of the turmoil.
On the night of the major demonstration on 27 April, Yan Jiaqi said: This demonstration "represents our victory."
On 28th April, he drafted and distributed an open letter, "Defend Press Freedom", which was signed by him and some other people. In this letter, he attacked the Shanghai municipal CCP committee's decision on handling 'Shijie Jingji Daobao' and incited support activities and petition meetings by the press circles.
As soon as the "Specch at the Meeting of the Asian Development Bank" was published, Yan Jiaqi said “a favourable turn has emerged" and immediately expressed the need to "mobilise the intellectual circles in supporting Zhao Ziyang”. Later, he and a group of people like Su Shaozhi and others put up a big-character poster, “we can no longer keep silent", urging people in the intellectual circles to take to the
streets.
On 14th May, Yan Jiaqi and 11 others issued “Our Urgent Call on Today's Situation", demanding that the central authorities openly declare that the student unrest as a whole "is a patriotic democratic movement" and recognise the "Peking College Students Autonomous Federation" as a "legitimate organisation", and warning the party and government not to take compulsory measures against the students on hunger strikes for, otherwise, they "would become persons condemned by history". After the manuscript was finalised by Yan Jiaqi, the "Call" was first read out on Tiananmen Square, then broadcast by the Central Television Station, and then published in 'Guangming Ribao' on 15th