TNAG-1621-FCO40-2235-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1987 — Page 14

RESTRICTED

PR NOMEN

PEHPAN 3922

HK)

NO DISTRIBUTION

35

THIS TELEGRAM

WAS NOT See137 ADVANCES

PR PEKIN TO HOKON

2003437 FER

SRS 1400

PESTRICTED

FA PEKING

TO ROUTINE HONG KONG

TELWO 13

OF 200343Z FEBRUARY 27

FOLLOWING TELEGRAM REPEATED TO YOU FOR INFORMATION

BEGINSA

RESTRICTED

FM PEKING

TO ROUTINE CO

TELNG 251

OF 1903 054 FEBRUARY 27

INFO ROUT THE WASHINGTON, TOKYO, MOSCOW

INFO SAVING SHANGHAI

CHINA; INTERNAL POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS

SUMMARY

Seol $

Нив огово

043057

1. A SPEECH BY DEN ZIAOPIOS BATING BACK TO 1962 4AS BEEN PUAL (SMEN PROSIMENTELY IN THE CHINESE PRESS, THIS WAS 400OMPANIED BY PAHÁSKÓ ON THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION BY A WHOLE SERIES OF CHINESE LEADERS, MAINLY FROM THE MORE CONSERVATIVE WINS OF THE PASTY, THE APPARENT POLICY THAT PUBLIC STATEMENTS SHOPLD BE REASSURING AND SALANDED APPEARS GEGETALLY TO BE HOLDING, AUT THERE ARE STARS THAT THE GEOLOGICAL CAMPAIGN IS STRAINING AGAINST THE LIMAYS SET BY ZHAO

ZIYANG AT SPRING FESTIVAL.

DETAIL

2. THE NATIONAL PRESS OF 16 FEBRUARY CARRIED AS ITS LEAD STORY A

HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED SPEECH BY DENG XIAOPING WHICH WAS OPISIMALLY

COLIVORED AT A PARTY WORK CONFERENCE IN 1962 MELD TO REAPPRAISE THE HAVOC GAUBER BY MAO ZEDONG'S VISIONARY EXTREMI59 DURING THE CREAT

LEAP FORWARD AND THE THREE BETTER YEARS WHICH FOLLOWED IT. THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO COMMENTARY ATTACHED TO THE SPEECH, PUT A CONTEMPORARY MESSAGE IS CLEARLY INTENDED. IN ITS PECIAL MAR WAY THIS

15 THE FIRE PLIO COMMENT ON RECENT EVENTS FROM DENG MAAGDsea

SINCE HIS BRIEF REMARKS TO MP MUGAGE ON 20 JANUARY (MY TELNO 90). A SHORT MOTE * THE PEOPLE'S DAILY PRINTED TO PARTY PIEDING AND

DEMOCRATIU CENTRALISM AS THE MAIN THEMES OF THE SPEECH, PART AT

LEAST OF DENG'S INTENTION SEEMS TO HAVE SEEK TO PERUILD COMSIDENCE

IN THE RESPECT FOR THE PARTY AFTER THE DIFFICULT TIMES IT HAD GONE

THROUGH THEN THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD, NOW THE 10EOLOGICAL LAXITY OP THE FALL OF AU YAOBANG). HE DWELT AT SOME LENGTH ON HOW A Toled THE PARTY COULD MAKE MISTAKES, IT WAS ALSO WELL CAPABLE OF CORRECTING THEM AND EMERGING STAOMBER FROM THE EXPERIENCE, CLEAR REFERENCE TO RECENT EVENTS, ME POINTED OUT THAT WITHOUT DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM – AY WHICH HE SEEMED TO MEAN MAINLY THE RE-IMPOSITION OF ORDER AND PARTY DISCIPLINE CADRES AND PARTY MEMBERS COULD DEGENERATE. HE ALSO HAD HARSH WORDS TO SAY ABOUT THOSE WHO INDULGED IN FACTIONE JAM AND DECPIED THE DAMAGE BONE BY POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS,

3. IN THE LAST FEW DAYS A WHOLE RANGE OF CHINESE LEADERS INCLUDING LA XHANNIAN, PENG ZHEN, BO YING, WANG ZHEN, LY PENG, TIAN JIYUM AND ZHAG ZIYANG HAVE BEEN QUOTED IN THE CHINESE PRESS COMMENTING ON THE

CURRENT SITUATION, MOST HAVE BEEN CAREFUL TO KEEP TO THE SPIRIT OF THE GUIDELINES LAID DOWN BY THAO YIYANG IN HIS NEW YEAR'S ADRESS (MY TELNO 155). REFERENCES TO THE NEED FOR IDEOLOGICAL STRUSOLE HAVE

BELN CAREFULLY BALANCED BY OTHERS TO THE EQUAL NEED TO CONTINUE WITH

REFORM. FROM THE REFORMERS' POINT OF VIEW IT MUST BE ENCOURAGING

THAT RED WHO ARE WIDELY HELD TO BE AMONG THE NORË PROMINENT

CONSERVATIES SUCH AS LI XIANNIAN, PENG ZHEN AND DO VIBO HAVE ADRES THEIR PUBLIL SUPPORY TO DHAO'S LINE. PENG ZHEN AND BO Y130 EVEN VENT SO FAR AS TO ADMIT THE NEED FOR REFORM OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM, HERE

AND THERE MORE CONSERVATIVE SLOGANS SUCH AS SELF REL FANCE OG HARU STRUGGLE CREPT IN TO WHAT THEY SAID. BUT THE GENERAL TONE HAS BEEN REASSURING.

A. MORE SIGNIFICANT AND PERHAPS MORE VORRYING WERE SPEECHES BY M9:40

ZHEN AND BY LI PENG WHICH WERE PUBLISHED IN PEOPLE'S DAILY DM 17 FEBRUARY. WANG ZHEN ADOPTED A MUCH TUUSHER APPROACH, WEAVILY FINGER

WITH IDEOLOGICAL FERVOUR AND ONLY DRUDGINGLY ACKNOWLEDGING DEFORT AS

LF AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT, TO SOME EXTENT THIS CAN BE EXPLAINED BY THE FACT THAT HE WAS ADOREGOING AN EXCLUSIVELY PARTY AUDIENCE. NOVETHELESS, HIS ONE-SIDED VIEW DOES CONTRAST WITH WAY IS BEING SAID ELSEWHERE. IN ADDITION HE, AND ALSO 11 PENG IN A SPEECH TO AN EDUCATION COMFERENCE, REFERRED QUITE POINTEDLY TO IDEOLOGICAL PROBLENS CAUSED BY THE SPREAD OF BOURGEOIS BEWALISATION OVES THE PAST FEW YEARS. WANG WAS EVEN MORE SPECIFIC, HE SAID THAT THE PARTY HAD BEEN UNANIMOUS IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE GAND OF POUR''. IT WAS ONLY AFTER DENG XIAOPING RAISED THE FOUR CARDINAL PRINCIPLES (IE IN 1970) THAT A FEW COMRADES IN THE THEORETICAL FITLD FEGAN TO GO THEIR OWN WAY. SUCH REMARKS BEAR WINTS OF SUNGESTION THAN THE ROOTS OF THE CURPENT PROBLEMS SO SACK A LONG WAY AND THAT THE BLAME FOR THICH SHOULD DE SPREAD MORE WIDELY THAN ON HU YAOSANO ALUNE.

3. THERE ARE ALSO SOME SIGNS OF CHIPING AWAY AT THE LIMITATION OF THE IDEOLOGICAL STRUGGLE TO WITHIN THE PARTY WHICH ZNAO ANNOUNCED, LI PERC WAS CAREFUL TO REFER EXPLICITLY TO THESE LIMITS. BUT RIS OPENING FEMARKS THAT OPPOSITION TO BOURGEOIS LIBERALISM WAS THE FIRST OF TWO MAIN TASKS FOR THE EDUCATIONAL WORLD THIS YEAR SEEMED TO ENVISAGE A BROADENING OF THE STRUGGLE. IN A SIMILAR FASHION THE GENERAL POLITICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION APOY ISSUED A NOTICE ON 14 FEBRUARY ON EDUCATING THE ARMED FORCES IN THE FOUR CARDINAL PRINCIPLES AND IN OPPOSITION TO SOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION, THIS STATED THAT ALL 118 OFFICERS AND MEN SHOULD TAKE PART IN WHAT IT TERMED AS A SERIOUS POLITICAL STRUGGLE.

5. RATHER LEGS HAS BEEN MEARD FROM LEADERS MORE ASSOCIATED WITH REFORM VIEWS. VICE-PREMIER TIAN JIYUN ROENTLY SPOKE TO A FISANOTAL. WORK CONFERENCE, BUT HIS 25MARKS WERE TECHNICAL AND DEVOID OF OVERT POLITICAL COMMENT. ZHAO ZIYANG, IN TALKS WITH PRESIDENT BONGO OF GABON OR 17 FEBRUARY, REPEATED HIS CARLIER LINC, THAT WHAT WAS REINS BONE WOULD LEAD TO CREATER STABILITY AND INITY,

COMMENT.

7. THE OVERALL PICTURE IS STILI. FAR FROM CLEAR, GENEPALLY SPEAKING

THE REFORMERS LINE OF LIMITING THE IDEOLOGICAL STRUSSLE TO THE

PARTY AND ISOLATING IT FROM OTHER AREAS OF POLICIY APPEARS TO RE

HOLD,RA. ECGNONIT REFORM HAS CERTAINLY ESCAPED LARGELY UNSCATHEN

THOUGH THERE IS A PRE 1979 RING TO GOME RECENT IDEAS SUCH AS THE

RE-IMPOSITION OF CENTRAL CONTROLF ON INVESTMENT, AND THE EMPHASIS ON

OPAIR AND ON HARD STRUGGLE AND PLAIN LIVING. BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOUND ECONOMIC REASONS FOR SUCH ATTITUDES. THEY SEEM MORE LIKELY TO BE PART OF A GENERAL REACTION IN THE DIRECTION OF MOPL FAMILIAS PATHS IN THE FACE OF DIFFICULTIES THAN AN JARICATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF MORE CONSERVATIVE FORCES. MORCOVER, THE CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGICAL LINE IS FAR FROM DONTHANT IN THE PRESS. RUT THE REFORMERS ATTEMPT TO SET LIMITS ON THIS IS LOOKING A DARYLE PASSER

AT THE EDGES. THERE IS STILL CONSIDERABLE LIFE IN THE STRUGGLE

AGAINST BOURGLOJE LIBERALISATION. BY TRACING THE PROBLEM BACK TO

1379 LI PENG AND WANG ZHEN COULD BE UNDERSTOOD TO BE ATTEMPTING SABTŁY TO UNDERMINE THE POLITICAL STANDING OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR POLICY AT THE TIME, IT MUST ALSO BE DISAPPOINTING FOR THE REFORMERS THAT THE GUIDANCE FROM DENG XIAOPING IS EXPRESSED IN SO ENIGMATIC A FASHION.

EVAND

ENDS.

EVANS

YYYY

PEHPAN 2972

ANNM