Ting Shi (’03) reports for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong on the important debate over political reform in China as the Communist Party’s 17th National Congress approaches.

September 12, 2007
An influential Communist Party newspaper has urged greater political liberalisation to sustain the country’s rapid economic growth, adding more suspense to the lead-up to next month’s crucial party congress.

The Study Times, a weekly published by the Central Party School, suggested yesterday that political change and economic change should proceed hand in hand.

“Politics is a concentrated manifestation of economic activities,” a lengthy commentary said. “A democratic economy necessitates a democratic political system, and will actually bring out political democratisation.”

Analysts say advocates of political reform are making a last fervent pitch for their case ahead of the Communist Party’s 17th National Congress, which opens on October 15.

“There could be some positive changes such as broadening the use of elections at higher levels,” said Mao Shoulong , a political scientist at Beijing’s Renmin University. “But at this moment it’s hard to tell how far reformists can go at the party congress.”

Talk of democracy has been a mainland media staple for the past year.

It started off with a high-profile article entitled “Democracy Is a Good Thing” that was first run by Beijing Daily in October and then carried by several major publications, including Study Times.

But party conservatives have fought back, including a desperate campaign to try to delay the country’s first Property Law, which they accused of “embracing capitalism”.

Their dogged efforts culminated in a recent article published on the leftist website Mao Zedong’s Flag warning that the reforms have gone off track.

That “outmoded” ideology recklessly defied the natural law of social evolution, yesterday’s Study Times article said.

“As free market economy develops, society opens up and cultural pluralism starts to take root, it’s important and even urgent to actively push forward with political reform to accommodate all of these.”

A rare degree of boldness in political discussion is often allowed ahead of the party congress, with the central leadership seeking to cast themselves publicly as progressives who are open-minded about ways to improve governance and reduce corruption.

The article did not go as far as endorsing western-style multiparty democracy.

It suggested political reforms should follow the same gradualist approach as economic reforms.

Speculation has been rife about whether the central party leadership will introduce competitive elections for the politburo at the party congress.

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