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Tuesday, March 5, 2002

Speaking in Beijing's Great Hall of the People to the National People's Congress, Zhu praised the government for the past year's successes despite a "volatile international situation," an apparent reference to the ongoing war in Afghanistan and the current downturn in the global economy.

The one-and-a-half-hour opening address is traditionally a state of the union address. It usually includes plenty of self-congratulation for the previous year and strong calls for the many lofty goals set for the upcoming session.

Zhu focused mainly on the Chinese economy, which grew 7.3 percent last year. He emphasized the need for continued growth to deal with the changes expected now that China is a member of the World Trade Organization.

"There is still much room for our economy to develop," Zhu said, listing many areas where reform and expansion are needed. "China's entry to the WTO indicates that our opening up has entered a new stage."

Zhu called for accelerated reform in the trade sector and for local markets to be opened up to foreign business, noting that "we need to concentrate on increasing our international competitiveness."

Thousands of police cordoned off Tiananmen Square and stopped traffic in the heart of Beijing as the congress's 3,000 delegates arrived in buses, private cars and limousines.

In contrast to the hundreds of staid-looking ethnic Chinese delegates, many members dressed in the elaborate costumes of the ethnic minorities they represent. Television cameras showed the numerous bright red headdresses, silk Tibetan tunics and Buddhist saffron robes of those who stood out in the crowd of mainly blue and gray business suits.

Zhu's speech, which was broadcast live on state-run television, addressed many of the problems that worry ordinary Chinese people: rampant governmental corruption, social security and the plight of hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers who have been left behind by rapid development that has transformed the country's cities.

Change In Leadership

No mention was made, however, of the upcoming change in leadership that will mean the retirement of Zhu, President Jiang Zemin and Congress Chairman Li Peng later this year. Analysts believe the meeting provides a forum for political maneuvering.

"I don't think the upcoming leadership change will overshadow the real issues facing the meeting," said Wenfang Tang, a political science professor from the University of Pittsburgh. "For the potential leaders, this is perhaps the most important opportunity to campaign in order to win votes."

Many of the delegates at the congress this week will also attend the Communist Party Congress in October, which will elect the next batch of China's leaders.

Corruption has consistently ranked as the No. 1 concern of most Chinese people. Zhu, a reformer known for his hard line against official graft, had tough words on the issue.

"Officials use public funds for wining and dining, extravagant entertainment and private travel abroad," he said. "This misconduct invariably consumes large sums of money, so we must resolutely stop this tendency."

Corruption is expected to be a constant theme throughout the congress. Delegates often make their displeasure known by the amount of dissent given "never near a majority" when relevant reports are voted on.

"In the past when anti-corruption sentiment was high, these reports suffered the highest rates of disapproval and abstention during the delegates' final vote," Tang said.

The issue of Taiwan, a constant irritant in Sino-U.S. relations, was addressed in a surprisingly low-key manner. Zhu called for establishing direct links with the island and further dialogue between the two sides. He also noticeably omitted last year's threat of military force if the island were to declare independence.

While the economy and corruption stood out as the main focus of Zhu's speech, he also toed the party line in condemning the Falun Gong spiritual group and included a thinly veiled reference to restive Muslim areas in northwestern China.

"We must crack down on sabotage by hostile forces both inside and outside China, and we must crack down on criminal activities perpetrated by forces of terrorism, religious extremism and ethnic separatism," he said.

The budget for the upcoming year is to be presented Wednesday, and many other government plans will be put forth if not debated. The congress is to conclude March 15.

Copyright 2002 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

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