TNAG-1622-FCO40-2236-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1987 — Page 203

4. THE ASSERTION BY THE YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR THAT ZHAO ZIYANG BECAME DISSATISFIED DURING THE AUTUMN OF 1986 WITH THE WAY IN WHICH HU HAD

BEEN MANAGING THE PARTY MACHINE (MY TELNO 276) IS MOST INTERESTING. IT COULD BE THAT HU FINALLY SUCCUMBED BECAUSE DENG, HIS OWN FEELINGS APART, DECIDED THAT HE COULD NOT KEEP AS GENERAL-SECRETARY A MAN WITH WHOM THE OLD REVOLUTIONARIES AND THE PREMIER WERE BOTH

DISSATISFIED.

'

CAMPAIGN AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION.

5. AS I SEE IT, THE FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN IS TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO MEMBERS OF THE PARTY, AND THROUGH THEM TO SOCIETY AT LARGE, THAT THERE ARE LIMITS BEYOND WHICH NEITHER POLITICAL NOR ECONOMIC REFORM MAY BE TAKEN, AND THAT THESE LIMITS ARE SET BY THE FOUR CARDINAL PRINCIPLES. IT MUST, I THINK, HAVE COME AS QUITE A

SHOCK TO DENG TO FIND THAT SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE PARTY LIKE FANG

LIZHI AND WANG RUOWANG WHERE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIS CALL FOR WIDER

POLITICAL DEBATE TO ADVOCATE THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN-STYLE

DEMOCRACY. IT SEEMS TO BE AGREED THAT THE CAMPAIGN SHOULD BE

LIMITED IN SPACE, IE THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN OUTSIDE THE PARTY

OR INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE. BUT IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE AGREED THAT THE

CAMPAIGN WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE FOR A MATTER OF MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS.

THERE ARE SIGNS TOO THAT THE CONSERVATIVES ARE RUSHING AGAINST THE AGREED BOUNDARIES OF THE CAMPAIGN, IN THE HOPE OF WIDENING ITS SCOPE.

THE FOUR CARDINAL PRINCIPLES ARE OF COURSE THEMSELVES OPEN TO

INTERPRETATION. IT FOLLOWS THAT GREAT DEAL WILL DEPEND IN THE

FUTURE ON HOW THEY ARE INTERPRETED. IT IS INTERESTING THAT LUO GAN, THE NUMBER TWO IN THE ALL-CHINA FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS, RECENTLY

STATED EXPLICITLY THAT SEVERAL ECONOMIC REFORM MEASURES WERE NOT

FORMS OF BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION. THIS IS ENCOURAGING. BUT IT

ALSO SHOWS THAT THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF GROUND TO BE FOUGHT OVER.

ONE THING WHICH HAS PARTICULARLY STRUCK ME IS THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH DENG HIMSELF HAS JUSTIFIED THE NEED FOR CHINA TO STICK TO THE

**SOCIALIST ROAD''. HE HAS NOT CLAIMED THAT SOCIALISM IS

INTRINSICALLY SUPERIOR AS A SYSTEM TO CAPITALISM. NOR HAS HE SPOKEN

ABOUT MORAL ILLS WHICH MIGHT AFFLICT CHINA IF THE DOOR WERE TO BE

OPEN TOO WIDE TO INFLUENCE FROM CAPITALIST COUNTRIES. WHAT HE HAS

DONE IS TO EMPHASISE THAT POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ORDER WOULD BE AT

RISK IF THERE WERE TO BE ANY DEPARTURE FROM THE ''SOCIALIST ROAD**

HE REMAINS PRAGMATIST, EVEN WHEN HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE LARGEST

ISSUES OF POLITICS.

REFORM.

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