Bao Tong, former secretary to Zhao Ziyang, talks about the National People’s Congress and political reforms. Without them, China could experience widespread social unrest, especially because of pervasive corruption. After the railway minister is ousted, a well-oiled system of kickbacks comes to light.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Political reform should not have dangerous consequences for China. Instead, it “can guarantee long-term peace and stability”, said Bao Tong, former secretary to Premier Zhao Ziyang, as he commented statements by Wu Bangguo, chairman of the National People’s Congress.

Speaking on 10 March, Wu excluded Western-style reforms or a multiparty system for China. He also dismissed suggestions that the mainland adopt a separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of power (which remain subordinated to the Chinese Communist Party). He also rejected bicameralism, federalism and privatisation (China’s state-owned monopolies dominate the economy).

“Multiparty democracy, ideological pluralism, the separation of powers, federalism, and privatization are key binding factors of human civilization, together with free market economics,” Bao (pictured in 2009) is quoted as writing in Radio Free Asia. "Actually, the Six Things We Don't Do, are in fact only one thing, and that Thing We Don't Do is universal values," Bao explained.

"The Chinese Communist Party was founded on common values to be found all over the world, but ever since 1989 . . . universal values haven't been mentioned".

"Instead, it has shut itself out of international civilization with the concept of Chinese characteristics," he said.

Bao followed the fate of Zhao, who was disgraced because he opposed the June 1989 Tiananmen massacre, where students and workers called for political reforms and freedom. He spent seven years in prison and has been under house release since his release.

In his speech, Wu had said that building socialism with Chinese characteristics is "the only correct road to development and progress for our country." Otherwise, "If we waver ... it is possible the country could sink into the abyss of internal disorder".

Wu’s warning is “baseless”, according to Bao. “Order remains in place in countries that recognize universal values, even in Japan after it was hit by a huge and disastrous earthquake," he wrote. "Not a single one of them has descended into chaos because of some Jasmine revolution".

"On the contrary, it's precisely those paranoid countries who have Things We Don't Do in order to hold on at all costs to a superficial harmony that do [descend into chaos.]"

"A Western civil society is the only kind that can guarantee long-term peace and stability, the only kind that doesn't have to fear a Jasmine revolution," Bao wrote.

Instead, Beijing is extremely concerned about social unrest. For this reason, it is currently cracking down hard on any protest. And yet, it is unable to eliminate widespread corruption among its officials and leaders.

In February, Railway Minister Liu Zhijun was charged. The National Audit Office (NAO), which is in charge of the investigation, said that the 1,318 kilometre Beijing-Shanghai railway, which will run at 350 kilometres per hour, saw embezzlement, fraud and other financial irregularities for more than 5 billion yuan (US$ 765 million)

Xu Aisheng, a senior NAO official in charge of fixed assets investment auditing, described a well-oiled scheme that included kickbacks, false receipts and fake financial information.

Three listed state-owned firms, China Railway Group, China Railway Construction Corporation and China Communications Construction, are implicated in the case. Some 16 companies also falsified 324 million yuan of receipts for sourcing gravel and leasing equipment.

• china
• fraud
• corruption
• scandals
• western
• democracy