Say So Long...
Zai Jian...Sayonara...Adios...Au Revoir..Later, Dude...
Qiao Shi (left) and Jiang Zemin (right)
Which one looks happy? Which one looks tired?
More Silt in the River
It's official... Our boy Qiao Shi is out. ready to take his retirement in the lovely province of Zhejiang where he can reflect on his days of youth terrorizing the people of Shanghai first as an underground communist insurgent and later as the head of the whole nation's secret police. Ah the memories... of those late night torture sessions...Stories he can tell his great grandchildren as they sit on his knee.
It has been said that the River must flow through the Rock. Qiao Shi was Jiang Zemin's biggest rival for the top leadership position in the PRC government (see The Da Lu Duke Out and Did Qiao Bite Jiang's ear? here at the MSTKG Chinese Politics Site . Jiang means river and Shi means rock. In this situation then it meant that Jiang had to overcome Qiao Shi to maintain and establish his position as Deng Xiao Ping's heir.
It seems that the River has completely worn away the Rock and the river is filled with more silt than ever. That Jiang won this fight was known a long time ago, but now it becomes official. Here is a wire report on Qiao's quiet and gentle journey into his night.
Qiao Shi was head of the National People's Congress, ostensibly equivalent to the US Congress except that the members aren't voted in and in general they do nothing anyhow except to wield a rubber stamp. During his tenure and in his struggle with Jiang after Deng's death, Qiao played up the need for Rule of Law in China. This made him seem like a good fellow and a reformer to the outside as far as it goes within the limited confines of CCP party thought.
But at the same time one must remember that as head of the NPC, any improvements toward a true system of law would have increased his power as the NPC head. In mainland China things often work that way. If Qiao had been Premier or President he most likely would have been calling for stronger executive powers.
Qiao did say at least one decent thing. I saw a magazine that devoted an issue to China where there was a wide variety of viewpoints, from CCP members to Martin Lee, the Hong Kong Democrat. One piece of idiocy was the statement by the Mayor of Shanghai that China had already tried Democracy and that it didn't work. He was referring to the Cultural Revolution. Qiao Shi responded quite rationally that the Cultural revolution was not an example of democracy in action.
The press reports that this parting of ways is not inimical. A spokesman for the Congress said that this transition was "natural and normal." Qiao for his part kept a stiff upper lip. " I have accomplished my mission", he stated. I'm not sure exactly what that mission was, but that's his story and he's sticking to it.
His replacement will be Li Peng, the current Premier who cannot hold that position anymore due to term limits. Li has become a core member of the Jiang Zemin clique. He clearly learned well from his father Zhou En-lai (Zhou was Li's adoptive father). Zhou kept himself at the number two level for a long time, and consequently wasn't purged or forced to retire. Li will be replaced as Premier by Zhu Rongji, another of Jiang's Shanghai clique. Li Peng has a slight victory in that he will still be considered "Number 2" whereas Zhu will be "number 3". It is funny how these so-called communists have been so obsessed with rank position and status like this.
Over the preceding months as it became apparent that Qiao would be ousted and Li would be given his position there were some murmurs of discontent over Li getting this position. These qualms were within the party leadership. Apparently those holding this view did not win out. Lately even more vocal opposition to Li taking that position has been voiced. A number of overseas critics and still in the country citizens put there names to various letters and petitions against Li being given this position. As is typical for this despotic regime, many of the people in mainland China have been rounded up and jailed. Some have been released, some are still held. Here is a recent report about the overseas criticism and the local criticism and retaliation.
Qiao's ouster leaves Zhao Ziyang as Jiang's only major rival (see Is it raining on Jiang's Parade? ). But Zhao is not a serious rival in that he was purged back in 1989 by Deng Xiaoping for being against the massacre of the Beijing citizenry back in June 89. He has since been under house arrest abut has apparently written some pieces that criticize the regime. He also is coming up on age 79 and would only be a factor in the event that the CCP began to go the way of the Soviets. Zhao would have the weight to play a role in helping whomever took over for the CCP.
Interestingly there were some news reports about Zhao Ziyang today. One reported that Zhao has been under stronger security in his house arrest since his last public letter that called for a re-assessment of the June 1989 massacre. This was in addition to the earlier public letter he wrote questioning the legitimacy of calling Jiang Zemin "the core" of the Communist party. This letter can be read here in simplified gb code or here in traditional big-5 code . I don't have the latter letter to link to.
As Zhao hangs out at the golf course who knows what letters he has in mind for the future.
