Published by: World Tibet Network News Tuesday, January 13, 1998

January 13, 1998

By Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press

FOOTNOTE: BEIJING (AP) A former Chinese bureaucrat has taken the daring step of publicly lobbying the government for democratic reforms and says his views are secretly shared by many within the ruling

Communist Party.

Fang Jue resigned as director of the planning commission in the southeastern city of Fuzhou two years ago, saying he was disillusioned by the party's resistance to reform. He now works for a trading company.

In a letter distributed Tuesday by New York-based Human Rights in China, Fang called for direct elections of offices from village councils up to the Chinese presidency, freedom of speech and stronger civilian control of the military. He also wants the government to reverse its decision to label 1989 pro-democracy protests "counterrevolutionary turmoil.''

"China is approaching the threshold of a new century, and unless it undertakes vital and deep reforms, it will be impossible to win the support of people of all ages from all walks of life and to be truly accepted by the civilized world,'' Fang wrote.

A few Chinese critics have voiced similar sentiments, but always at the risk of arrest. Several have managed to avoid official punishment, possibly because of clandestine support from officials.

Fang said a sizable segment of China's middle- and top-ranking officials support him. He said many were unhappy at the refusal of President Jiang Zemin and other members of the older generation of leaders to promote reform during last September's Communist Party Congress.

Still, no one else signed his treatise, entitled "China Needs a Vital Transformation: Principles for a Democratic Party.''

China's leaders contend their country cannot afford what they view as risky political reforms as long as more than 60 million Chinese live in poverty.

Among Fang's proposals were improved protection of human rights and loose central government controls over Tibet and Hong Kong. The fate of Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province to be recovered as soon as possible, should be decided by the island's residents, he wrote.

Other proposals included:

Separating the Communist Party, which has held power since 1949, from government at all levels.

Accelerating reforms aimed at making state-owned enterprises independent of government subsidies, protection and other support.

Lifting tariffs and other barriers to foreign imports, businesses and investments.

Eliminating bureaucratic controls of China's financial markets.

Stepping up efforts to promote regional stability and improve ties with the United States.