[Nasional-e] China joins long march of capitalism

[Ambon]

China joins long march of capitalism

McDonald's and KFC eclipse the teachings of Marx

John Gittings in Beijing

President Jiang Zemin effectively jettisoned communism in his manifesto
speech last week on China's future development to the 16th Communist party
congress. He stressed the need for the party to "keep pace with the times"
and bring prosperity to the Chinese people. Otherwise the party's own future
was in doubt.
Mr Jiang spoke at length on the merits of his pragmatic theory known as the
"three represents" which puts economic development as top priority. "The
world is changing," he said. "We must adapt ourselves . . . [and]
conscientiously free our minds from the shackles of outdated notions,
practices and systems, from the erroneous and dogmatic interpretations of
Marxism." In contrast to Mr Jiang's report to the last congress in 1997, he
failed to refer to the "ultimate goal of communism" that the party in theory
still pursues.
A green light was offered to China's private entrepreneurs, who have been
vulnerable to criticism although they are now the country's most dynamic
economic force. "We should admit into the party advanced elements of other
social strata who accept the party's programme and constitution," Mr Jiang
said.
He defined the new "social strata" as including private entrepreneurs,
employees of foreign funded firms, and the self-employed. It was improper,
he said, "to judge whether people are progressive or backward by how much
property they own".
Mr Jiang, who is expected to give up leadership of the party at the end of
the congress this week, made it clear that the "three represents" is his
legacy, supplanting the ideas of Marx and Lenin. It was "a guiding ideology
[which] the party must follow for a long time to come", he said with char
acteristic lack of modesty. Preaching a new inclusiveness, he said that "all
people's interests are basically identical: we must allow people to advance
together to the common goal of prosperity [and] encourage them to create
social wealth".
He offered little or nothing to those hoping for political change. He
referred cautiously to "expanding citizens' participation in an orderly
way". Democracy should be extended but only "at the grassroots": there was
no suggestion of elections within the party or for government posts above
the lowest level.
He made it clear that the party intended to stay in power and that it was
supremely qualified to rule. He said: "Leadership by the party is the
fundamental guarantee that the people are the masters of the country and
that the country is ruled by law."
 The Chinese constitution, he insisted, "embodies the unity of the party's
views and the people's will".
Mr Jiang called for innovative thinking to tackle China's unemployment and
the gap between rich and poor. He denounced high-level corruption, saying no
one should be immune from punishment.
He also warned that China would use force against anyone who "separated
Taiwan from China in any way".
Committing his successors firmly to world economic globalisation, he said
the party stood for "going with the historical tide".
In the Great Hall of the People the 2,100 delegates to the congress prepared
this week for a new dynasty of younger, pragmatic leadership.
Mr Jiang, the Shanghai apparatchik promoted to high office after the
Tiananmen massacre of 1989, can
 claim some credit for having disproved critics who said then that the party
was doomed. New shopping malls have risen along the Avenue of Everlasting
Peace where tanks and armoured cars once killed protesters.
Young families eat in McDonald's and KFC instead of buying pancakes from the
street cart sellers who once fed the students. A new metro runs under the
square, carrying hundreds of thousands who used to cycle to work. The
station walls are lined with advertisements for mobile phones and stylish
clothes.
Mr Jiang knows his compact with the people is to deliver the goods. "We are
hoping for new policies that will work," said a civil servant on the metro.
"The stock exchange has already gone up in expectation."

The Guardian Weekly 14-11-2002, page 4