AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSION
INWARD CABLEGRAM:
IDEN
1. 0.
CONFIDEN
CONFUDEN
6-0.8J19328
SCOPE FOR EXTENDING CRITICISM AT RANDOM TO IDEAS AND PRACTICES DEVELOPED DURING THE REFORM PERIOD SINCE 1978.
ON THE CULTURAL FIELD LI YAN'S COMMENTS INTIMATED THAT THE SITUATION WILL REMAIN CONSTRAINED AS REFORM' IN CULTURE SHOULD NOT DEPART TOO FAR FROM THE PEOPLE. TO THIS EXTENT IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE PARTY WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME CELEBRATION IN ART OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS MADE THROUGH REFORM ETC., IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.
1
LI DID, HOWEVER, EXPLICITLY STATE WITH REFERENCE TO MAO THAT QIE PARTY HAD MADE ITS APPRAISAL OF HIS CONTRIBUTION TO CHINESE HISTORY AND PASSED A RESOLUTION, THAT APPRAISAL WAS THE PARTY'S JUDGEMENT
AND HAD NOT BEEN REVISED. THIS WAS TRUE ALSO OF HIS YENAN FORUM ON ART AND LITERATURE AS REAPPRAISED IN 1982. ART AND LITERATURE SHOULD SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE WHOLE PEOPLE AND SOCIALISM BUT NOT, AS MAO HAD SAID, THE INTERESTS ONLY OF THE WORKERS, PEASANTS
AND SOLDIERS'
MORE GENERALLY LI'S VIEWS, AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF CURRENT NEWSPAPER COMMENT WHICH, OF COURSE, GETS ITS OVERALL DIRECTION FROM THE PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT, SUGGEST THAT INNOVATION AND THE CONTINUATION OF REFORM IS MORE LIKELY TO BE OBSERVABLE IN ECONOM TECHNOLOGICAL, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AREAS, THAN IN THE MORE SENSITIVE AREAS OF THOUGHT AND THE WRITTEN WORD.
AND THAT WHILE THE STRUGGLE AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION WILL BE AS RESTRICTED AND SHARPLY FOCUSSED AS POSSIBLE, REFORM WILL HAVE TO PROCEED AT A PACE AND TO A LEVEL WHICH CAN BE MORE
EASILY DIGESTED AND ABSORBED AND DO NOT SUBJECT CHINA'S POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES TO UNBEARABLE STRESS.
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFI
DENTIAL
OCON IDENT
L
ACTION: POL
JAA
HC
DHC
MIN
JU VIVAINT
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