Hu and Wen Doublespeak Show

While Wen Jiabao was making his goodwill trip around Europe at the beginning of February, Hu Jintao was home calling out for the Chinese military forces to show absolute obedience to the Party while he presided over a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the CCP.

Social stability in China is clearly threatened. China's exports fell in January 17.5% in value from a year ago, contracting at the fastest rate in over a decade, and shipments of electronics, cell phones, steel products and other goods sharply decreased, with imports decreased by 43%. An official from the Central Communist Party School estimates in a reports that between 20% to 30% of the 130 million migrant will remain jobless. Finance Minister Xie Xuren says the situation is now "very severe."

But Wen stated in an interview with the Financial Times, "I’m confident that the Chinese economy will be able to get through the difficult times caused by the financial crisis. This confidence has been based on a scientific approach, as well as the realities in today’s world, as well as in China. The source of my confidence is based on the correct judgment we have made of the current situation… I feel confident, because over the past 30 years of reform and opening up, China has put in place a solid, material and technical foundation, and we have now in place good institutions and mechanisms. I’m confident because China has a stable financial system… my confidence is based on the decisive and firm decisions that the Chinese government has adopted."

These decisions may include the instructions given to the military. President Hu urged the military to "Be loyal to the Party, love the people, serve the nation, be devoted to the mission, and worship credit." "We must make sure the army will follow the instruction of the CMC and the Communist Party at any time, under any circumstances," the Central Military Commission stated after the meeting. "We must always be sure of the army's stability and its unity," according to the commission statement read on CCT news.

"When you have growing social unrest, the party leadership always makes sure they have their coercive elements prepared in case they may be drafted in to stabilize things, like in 1989," states Tai Ming Cheung, expert on the PLA at the University of California.

At the same time, 1,635 websites and 200 blogs have been shut down in a campaign against any website that "harms public morality," and the Chinese state media reports that a blacklist of journalists is under preparation. According to the China Press and Publishing Journal, it will be "a database of media professionals with a bad record." Reporters deemed guilty of not following the rules will have their press cards taken away. "Their names will be entered into the list and they will be restricted from news reporting or editing work," Li Dongdong, deputy director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, is quoted as saying.

Wen, while seeking to cement trade relations, also made this observation: "Some financial institutions pursued profit in a blind way without effective regulation. They have been using excessive leverage to gain huge profits but once the bubble burst, the world was exposed to disasters. This financial crisis has given us some hard lessons. Now is not the time to get the full picture of the crisis or to have a serious reflection on the implications of the crisis." But was he talking to himself?

At least one person was not fooled by Wen – the student who threw a shoe at him during his speech at Cambridge University on February 2. "How can the university prostitute itself with this dictator? How can you listen to the lies he is telling? Stand up and protest."

At first the Chinese media suppressed the incident, but was soon was forced to give up and let the news out. (Even Western media rarely published the student’s entire statement.) Wen later expressed to the press his desire that the student not be treated too harshly. We can only wonder what would have happened to a Chinese student in China who would dare throw a shoe at Wen or any other key figure of the regime.

In a country poisoned by corruption, Tsinghua University Professor Yu Qiao said the number of migrant workers left without jobs is likely to reach 50 million if the economic stimulus program in China is misdirected.

Let’s reflect on yet another of Wen’s pearls of wisdom, "If the wealth of a society is concentrated in the hands of a small number of people, then this is against the popular will, and the society is bound to be unstable."

Sources:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/beijing-warns-military-to-deter-instability/2009/02/02/1233423172864.html
http://www.theage.com.au/world/beijing-warns-military-to-deter-instability-20090202-7vpw.html?page=-1
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/china-exports-fall-january-fastest/story.aspx?guid=%7B2BFF0552-6905-4CE2-9D74-29C043AD4367%7D&dist=TNMostRead
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-china-exports12-2009feb12,0,2990592.story
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gS-3-z6SaOpygRPWKbQKcIAkSE4wD96AKO500
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.2e4e127b6b7d600dc3fa28f04b21cb9d.1011&show_article=1 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/01/content_10747814.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/11/content_10641442.htm
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-37779020090202
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/795d2bca-f0fe-11dd-8790-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=23728
http://www.tibetanreview.net/news.php?cat=2&cp=2&&id=2128
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/4361624/Millions-of-Chinese-set-to-lose-jobs-as-New-Year-celebrations-end.html

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