TNAG-2287-FCO40-3290-Chinese-personalities-involved-with-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 77

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MDTTAN 9797

AND GUANGMING DAILY HAD A DIFFERENT ONE, FROM 1987.

A FIT-LOOKING PENG ZHEN WAS THE ONLY OTHER ELDER TO HAVE HIS

PHOTOGRAPH PUBLISHED WHILE TREE-PLANTING. MAJOR NEWSPAPERS ON 10 MARCH REPRINTED A SPEECH DENG HAD FIRST MADE IN 1961.

COMMENT.

3

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS RESURGENCE IS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE. HIS LOW PROFILE LAST YEAR WAS OFFICIALLY EXPLAINED AS A RESULT

OF HIS RETIREMENT FROM FORMAL OFFICES, WHILE IT SEEMED MORE

LIKELY TO REFLECT A DECLINE IN HIS INFLUENCE OVER POLICY.

THE RESURGENCE COINCIDES AND FITS NEATLY WITH PERSISTENT STORIES

FROM THE END OF LAST YEAR THAT HE HAD INTERVENED IN THE PROCESS

OF DRAWING UP THE 8TH FIVE YEAR PLAN, INSISTING THAT IT BE MORE REFORMIST. PUBLIC APPEARANCES AND INSCRIPTIONS ARE OF COURSE

TRADITIONAL WAYS OF SIGNALLING THE VIGOUR OF LEADERS AND THEY

MAY INDICATE THE EARLY STAGES OF A DENG CAMPAIGN TO TRY ONCE MORE

TO TURN THE TIDE IN FAVOUR OF REFORM, AS HE HAS DONE AT KEY MOMENTS IN THE PAST. THE MAIN POINT OF THE REPRINTED 1961 SPEECH

WAS THAT MASS MOVEMENTS SHOULD NOT BE CARRIED OUT IN A FORMALISTIC

WAY BUT SHOULD BE PRACTICAL AND IN LINE WITH THE WISHES OF THE MASSES. THIS ECHOES THE VIEW PROMOTED BY DENG'S PROTEGE LI

RUIHUAN OVER THE LAST YEAR AND SITS ODDLY WITH THE RENEWED

CAMPAIGN TO STUDY LEI FENG (COINCIDING WITH THE 28TH ANNIVERSARY

ON 5 MARCH OF MAO'S INSTRUCTION TO LEARN FROM LEI FENG). IT MAY

ALSO BE RELEVANT THAT DENG ORIGINALLY MADE THE SPEECH AT A TIME

WHEN THE MASS MOBILISATION POLICIES OF THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD

WERE COMING UNDER CRITICISM AND MAO HIMSELF WAS ABOUT TO MAKE A

SELF-CRITICISM. IT MAY ALSO BE SIGNIFICANT THAT ONLY DENG AND

JIANG ZEMIN'S INSCRIPTIONS WERE PUBLISHED. UNTIL NOW THERE HAS

BEEN AN OBVIOUS EFFORT TO GIVE JIANG AND LI PENG EQUAL COVERAGE.

4.

I AM COPYING THIS TELELETTER TO S. BRADLEY, D P A, HONG KONG, J. CURRIE, B T C, HONG KONG AND D. MARTIN, UKREP JLG, HONG KONG.

FED REGISTRY, F C O PLEASE PASS TO REST OF POLITICAL

DISTRIBUTION.

P. CLARK.

YYYY

DISTRIBUTION

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