Chinese Communism at a crossroads

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

LA Times, November 3, 2002

Communism at a Crossroads in China

By Henry Chu, Times Staff Writer

CHONGQING, China -- Yin Jiaxu is the model of free-market success in a
land where market was a dirty word until only a quarter of a century ago.

The head of an auto maker here, Yin helped transform a floundering
state-owned enterprise into a thriving business. His company is listed
on the Shenzhen stock exchange; a new line of cars will roll off the
factory floor within weeks. Prospects have never seemed brighter for Yin.

From his corporate headquarters, it's a six-hour drive to where Gu
Xiuquan plows away at her job, which could hardly be less glamorous. She
runs a crossing signal on the Yangtze River, a monotonous,
government-provided post she has held for 19 years.

But not for much longer. Next year, the massive Three Gorges Dam is
expected to flood her lonely outpost, washing away her job. "I don't
know what my colleagues and I will do after that," she said.

Their fortunes may run in opposite directions, but one thing unites Yin
and Gu: Both are card-carrying members of Communist Party who will
attend a crucial gathering this week in Beijing that could shape the
future of the world's most populous country.

The 2,120 delegates to the 16th National Congress are the most diverse
in the party's 81-year history. They include businessmen like Yin, who
have benefited from China's development, and state employees like Gu,
who will suffer because of it. There are intellectuals like Cao Zhenli,
a Canadian-trained scientist, and rural cadres like Chang Desheng, who
went from collecting dog droppings for fertilizer as a boy to becoming a
local party boss.

All four -- Yin, Gu, Cao and Chang -- are attending their first national
party conclave, an event held once every five years.

full:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-delegates3nov03.story

--

Louis Proyect
www.marxmail.org



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