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03/22/2007
The Word from China
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao held his usual press conference
after the end of the annual legislative meeting of the National
People’s Congress. The New York Times’ Joseph Kahn noted
“Mr. Wen deflected a series of questions about China’s rising
financial and military power and its fast-growing emissions of
gases thought to contribute to climate change.”
Following are a few excerpts from coverage in China Daily and
the South China Morning Post.
Wen discussed the surge in corruption cases, blaming the over-
concentration of power without effective and proper restraints.
“To address the problem, we must first and foremost focus our
efforts in the institutions and systems.” The war on corruption
will be unrelenting: “No matter in what areas the corruption
cases are taking place, who are involved and how high-ranking
they are,” said the premier.
“We should admit that with the development of a market
economy, corruption takes place continuously, and it is
worsening. Many high-ranking officials are also involved.”
As noted in a story in the South China Morning Post by
Josephine Ma, “Mr. Wen went a step further than the usual
rhetoric, saying that the government would nab every corrupt
official regardless of his or her rank and promised to deal with
the root of the problem – unchecked power in the hands of
government officials.”
Wen Jiabao:
“There are many reasons behind corruption, but the most
important one is that power is overly concentrated and it can not
be effectively checked and supervised. Government offices
control large amounts of administrative resources and licensing
power. It breeds the trading of money for power, abuse of power
for personal gain, and collusion between officials and
businesses.”
“While water can carry a boat, it can also overturn it,” he said of
officials who used their power for personal gain.
People are encouraged to “oversee and criticize the government”
in building a socialist democracy.
Moving forward, China will focus on political system reform
aimed at developing democracy, in addition to advancing
economic reform.
“We are willing to adopt an open policy to learn the fruits of all
advanced civilizations in the world, we will combine it with our
reality and take the path of Chinese democracy .
“It is particularly important that we need to make justice the most
important value of the socialist system,” he said. Wen said the
government will strive to give everyone equal opportunity to
education, particularly to improve the living standards for
economically disadvantaged groups.
“If we improve the living conditions of those in difficulty, we
improve the well-being of the whole society,” he said.
One Beijing-based political analyst, Liu Junning, commented, “I
don’t understand why it takes China 100 years to develop
democracy” and Mr. Wen had given no indication of any kind of
significant political reform in the future.
Wen replied, in part, that “Socialist democracy in its most
fundamental form is to let the people be the masters of their own
home. This must include the right to democratic elections,
democratic decision-making, democratic administration and
democratic supervision.” But Wen warned Western nations not
to preach to China about overhauling its political system.
“Democracy, rule of law, freedom, human rights, equality and
fraternity do not belong solely to capitalism. These are the
results of a world historic process that mankind has gone through
together.”
Instead, Wen focused on “hidden crises” that threaten to
undermine China’s stability, particularly the economy, which he
said remained “unbalanced, uncoordinated, unstable and
unsustainable” even as it grows rapidly.
Wen reassured anyone listening that China was advancing along
a peaceful development path, with a responsible attitude to the
world.
“We are most sincere in our commitment to peaceful
development,” when asked to comment on China’s recent anti-
satellite test.
The test did not target or pose a threat to any other country and
has not breached international treaties, he said. “China always
advocates the peaceful utilization of outer space, and opposes an
arms race in outer space.”
[Ed. I’m assuming some of you are getting sick about now. I
am.]
“We have a defense policy that is defensive in nature. The
limited armed forces that China has are completely for
safeguarding the country’s security, independence and
sovereignty. On this matter, we are completely transparent.”
[Bull.]
On the issue of the environment, Wen said China is in favor of
the Kyoto Protocol, but as a developing country China has no
obligatory targets to meet when it comes to greenhouse gas
emissions.
But an editorial in China Daily on 3/16/07 offered:
“No country can exempt itself from the catastrophic effects of
climate change .
“It is necessary for the government to develop a national strategy
on climate change coordinated with diplomatic, economic and
social activities.
“The notion that global warming and its effects are overrated is
sheer ignorance of the threatening reality of more frequent
natural disasters .
“Global warming will have an irreversible negative impact on
China’s economic and social development. This is not an
unfounded fear.”
So there you have it; the latest from China’s leadership, with a
bit of oh so mild dissent thrown in. China is off in its own
universe, it often seems. It knows it has the world by the throat,
at least economically, while it gears up militarily so that it can
control Asia’s shipping lanes for starters. Don’t look for much
cooperation on any front over the coming decade.
Hott Spotts returns next week.
Brian Trumbore
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