Published: August 17, 2005
Op-Ed Contributor
Crossfire War: East Asia; China - Hu Jintao Attempts to Strengthen Tenuous Hold
By Willard Payne
Night Watch: BEIJING - In an attempt to strengthen a tenuous hold over China’s divided military, the Communist party issued new rules demanding that any member of the 2.5 million People’s Liberation Army (PLA) opposed to the party’s absolute rule over the military be expelled from the party.
The Liberation Army Daily was quoted by Reuters today, "Vigorously strengthening party discipline over the military and strictly punishing wrongdoing appear especially important under the circumstances of hostile Western forces’ strategy to Westernise and divide China."
Wang Yi, a political commentator who teaches at Chengdu University in China’s southwest observed that the new rules were an indication of the sense of crisis among China’s leaders. "When the party is in a crisis, it wants all the more to exert absolute control over the military."
Hu Jintao has just ordered a study of the color revolutions, Orange in the Ukraine and Rose in Georgia. Loyalties are officially divided between Hu Jintao and the former head of state Jiang Zemin, but beneath the surface a lot of the military realize that if they are not part of Hu Jintao’s limited inner circle their chance for influence in China’s decision making or benefitting from what is left of China’s economic growth is virtually non-existent.
When Hu Jintao assumed office and control of the military last September he immediately declared the need for military unity, meaning that there is no military unity in China. Until recently it was the primary concern for the PLA leadership to be more concerned about their investments in hotels and resorts. They no doubt disagree with that now being made illegal by someone whose power base was the Youth Committee.
Yellow would be the color of choice for China’s next revolution unless China follows its historical pattern of civil war. The divisions were set by Beijing’s response to the pro-democracy deomontrations in Tiananmen Square in June 1989 and with the Central Government ruling over the world’s most suspicious economy.
There is no luxury of time anymore for China. The problem was long term in 1989. A lot can happen to China, and Hu Jintao very quickly.
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