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Activist pessimistic
on reform in China
INTRIGUE: Wilson Chen said that as Xi Jinping
climbed to China’s top political position, conservatives were placed around him
to prevent him from instigating political reform
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
US-based Chinese dissident and
writer Wilson Chen gestures during a talk organized by the Taiwan Friends of
Tibet (TFT) in Taipei yesterday on “The Challenges for Taiwan and the TFT after
the 18th National Congress.”
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Despite the more liberal background of
newly sworn-in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary and Vice
President Xi Jinping (習近平), exiled Chinese democracy activist Wilson Chen (陳破空)
said he does not expect substantial changes when Xi takes over as president
because he is surrounded by members of the old guard.
“Some people do have some expectations of Xi when he takes office as the new
president of China because of his liberal background, but I must say that I’m
rather pessimistic about it,” Chen, a US-based researcher on Chinese politics,
told a forum co-organized by the Taiwan Friends of Tibet and the Taiwan
Association of University Professors yesterday on the potential policy direction
of the new Chinese leadership toward Taiwan and Tibet.
“People have some expectations of him, because his father, Xi Zhongxun (習仲勛),
one of the founding members of the CCP and the People’s Republic of China, was a
liberal-minded person who had a friendly relationship with exiled Tibetan
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and was opposed to the violent crackdown on the
student demonstration on Tiananmen Square in 1989,” Chen said.
“Most of the children of the CCP’s founding leaders are able to continue the
political tradition of their parents — Xi Jinping is no exception, as he has
earned a good name during his political career serving in local offices,” Chen
said.
However, Chen said he was pessimistic on what Xi Jinping may do to instigate a
political reform, as he is surrounded by conservatives.
He said that as Xi Jinping climbed to the CCP’s top position, the party’s
conservatives launched a counterattack by placing members of the old guard
around him to keep an eye on him and prevent him from imposing policies that may
hurt their interests.
“Hence, I don’t see a potential for substantial changes in Chinese policies
toward Taiwan and Tibet,” Chen said.
Lashing out at the CCP’s policy in Tibet, Chen said it should end its religious
repression of Tibet, as religion is the core of Tibetan culture.
“Let’s not talk about what happened in 1959 or 1989 [when massive resistance by
Tibetans was met by violent crackdowns]. The policy of requiring Buddhist
monasteries to hang portraits of Chinese political leaders is a huge humiliation
and disrespect for Tibetan culture,” Chen said. “Can you imagine the Taiwanese
government requiring all temples in Taiwan to hang a portrait of President Ma
Ying-jeou (馬英九) or the US government requiring all churches in the country to
hang a portrait of [US] President [Barack] Obama? That’s unthinkable.”
Chen expressed regret that the Taiwanese government had declined to issue a visa
to the Dalai Lama, which he said compromised the values of freedom, democracy
and human rights.
“When China says that everything could be discussed under the premise of the
‘one China’ principle, Taiwan should set human rights values as the premise for
cross-strait talks,” Chen said. “Many western countries have successfully forced
China into dialogues on human rights, so should Taiwan.”
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