CHINA WILL NOT "MECHANICALLY ADOPT" WESTERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 000633

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2034
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON SOCI KCUL CH
SUBJECT: CHINA WILL NOT "MECHANICALLY ADOPT" WESTERN
MODELS, NPC CHAIRMAN SAYS IN MARCH 9 REPORT

REF: A. BEIJING 607

B. BEIJING 589

C. BEIJING 580

D. BEIJING 559

E. BEIJING 531

Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief
Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) National People's Congress (NPC) Chairman Wu Bangguo
on March 9 emphasized the differences between China's NPC
system and foreign legislatures, declaring that China would
not "mechanically adopt" Western models, in delivering his
annual report on the nominal legislature's accomplishments
and goals for the year ahead. Wu hinted at the existence of
criticism or confusion over the NPC's oversight role and
indirectly took a jab at comments by the U.S. Congress on
Taiwan and Tibet. In reviewing the past year's
accomplishments, Wu emphasized the NPC's rapid support of the
government during last year's Sichuan earthquake, while also
taking credit for improving social welfare and promoting
economic development. The main tasks in the coming year were
completing establishment of a "socialist" legal system,
improving oversight of the government, strengthening the role
of NPC deputies and carrying out foreign relations. Wu also
focused on China's response to the global financial crisis
while emphasizing the need to continue "stable and rapid"
economic growth and expand the social safety net in the
interest of "stability." End Summary.

WU DELIVERS ANNUAL NPC STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT
-------------- ---


2. (C) National People's Congress (NPC) Chairman Wu Bangguo
delivered the annual report of the NPC Standing Committee to
the assembled delegates during the second plenary session of
this year's legislative conclave on March 9. Wu, who is also
the second-ranking member of the Party's ruling Politburo
Standing Committee, largely followed the script of recent
years, reviewing the Standing Committee's achievements of the
previous year and laying out the goals of the coming year,
with an emphasis on enacting legislation, supporting Party
decisions, facilitating the implementation of policy and
conducting oversight of the government. While much of the
general narrative in his report was a verbatim reiteration of
previous years' reports, the specifics focused on the hot
issues of the day, primarily China's measures for dealing
with the global financial crisis while maintaining efforts to
continue "stable and rapid" economic growth and expand the
social safety net for Chinese citizens in the interest of
"stability."

HARD LINE ON PARTY CONTROL, NO WESTERN MODELS
--------------


3. (C) In a departure from previous NPC Standing Committee
reports, however, Wu went to some lengths to underscore the
differences between China's political order and those of the
West. China must draw on the political achievements of other
countries but should "never simply copy" Western systems or
"introduce a system of multiple parties holding office in
rotation" or a system with "the separation of three powers or
bicameral legislature." Wu gave a lengthy discourse on the
supposed differences between the NPC and Western governments,
calling on deputies to "fully recognize the essential
differences between the system of people's congresses and
Western capitalist countries' system of political power,"
differences between the intra-government relations in China
and the West and "differences between deputies to the NPC and
members of Western parliaments and congresses." Going beyond
previous reports in emphasizing the "core" role of the
Communist Party in the NPC, Wu stated that the work of the
NPC "must all be conducive to strengthening and improving the
leadership of the Party and consolidating its position as the
ruling party" and quoted Deng Xiaoping as declaring that
"there can be no wavering from this principle." The CCP is
the "core of the country's leadership and the ruling party,"
Wu concluded, declaring that "all deputies, whether or not
they are communists," should "fulfill their responsibilities
to serve the people under the leadership of the CCP in
accordance with the law."


4. (C) In his review of China's political order in last
year's report, Wu also emphasized the Party's leading role
and the need for a system that "accords with our national
conditions" and that does not include "'tripartite powers' or
a 'bicameral system'." Nevertheless, last year Wu made no
reference to the West or the need to distinguish clearly

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between China's system and Western models. In addition,
there was no discussion of separation of powers, bicameralism
or other Western political institutions in the 2007 Standing
Committee report.


5. (C) Wu's remark stating that China would not adopt a
system of rotating party rule was the lead headline the next
day on the front page of the influential Beijing municipal
daily Xinjing Bao. In a brief discussion with PolOff at the
conclusion of the session, an NPC Foreign Affairs Committee
staff member volunteered that the section on differences with
foreign political systems was "new." When asked why he
thought Wu decided to emphasize that point, the staffer
asserted that it was to "educate NPC delegates on the purpose
and function of the NPC." The staffer rejected PolOff's
question as to whether Wu's emphasis might reflect concern
over interest by NPC delegates in Western political systems,
with the staffer adding that "many people in China do not
understand China's government" and so there is a need to
"educate" them.

CONTACTS COMMENT ON CONSERVATIVE LINE
--------------


6. (C) Two Embassy contacts separately attributed the warning
against Western political forms to the leadership's concerns
over stability during the economic downturn and Wu's personal
hard-line political leanings. Wang Chong (protect),former
international affairs columnist for the Communist Youth Daily
(Zhongguo Qingnian Bao, a paper run by the Communist Youth
League) told PolOff on March 11 that Wu is basically an
"obedient" cadre who was warning deputies against rocking the
political boat during China's current economic crisis. Cai
Dingjian (protect),a former NPC staffer who is now a
professor at Peking University and the Chinese University of
Political Science and Law, told PolOff on March 4, just prior
to the NPC's opening, that Wu is an "extremely conservative"
politician who is determined to ensure that the NPC "tows the
Party line" and "causes no trouble" for the Party leadership.
The "latest excuse" for not carrying out political reform is
the economic crisis, but in reality, Wu Bangguo has
"absolutely no desire" to see the NPC become the driver of
any reform, Cai asserted. Cai even speculated that
shortening this year's NPC session to just over eight days
was an effort by Wu to decrease the chances of "any
surprises," rather than to "save money" as claimed by PRC
propaganda.

HINTING AT CRITICISM OF NPC OVERSIGHT
--------------


7. (C) Although the annual NPC report normally has a section
outlining the nominal legislature's deficiencies and room for
improvement, Wu appeared to go beyond the normal pro-forma
litany of problems by hinting at the existence of criticism
or confusion over the NPC's oversight role. "We need to
clear up three points" in order do oversight work "more
effectively," Wu said. First, the NPC's power is granted by
the PRC constitution and "carries the force of law," and the
NPC's oversight work is "well worth doing," Wu stressed.
Second, even though the NPC oversees government work, "this
does not mean it is confrontational or creates difficulties
for the parties it oversees." When government bodies
"willingly accept" NPC oversight, this helps ensure "smooth
and fair" administration, Wu said. The third area Wu sought
to "clarify," he said, was to focus the NPC's efforts on
"practical results."

ACHIEVEMENTS AND GOALS
--------------


8. (C) The major achievements of the NPC Standing Committee
in the last year, according to Wu's report, were in the areas
of natural disaster response (particularly the May 2008
Sichuan earthquake),economic development, rural reform,
"people's well-being" (primarily expanding the social safety
net),and the routine work of the NPC. The section on the
Government's response to the earthquake praised the NPC
Standing Committee for its ability to quickly adjust its
focus and procedures to support government response efforts,
including allocating funds and amending budgets, and in
enacting emergency response legislation and carrying out
on-site investigations in Sichuan to inform Government
policy. In the economic development section, Wu acknowledged
that efforts thus far to change the "pattern of economic
development" have fallen short, as industry is still too
dominant (instead of the service sector having a greater
role),exports and investment still drive growth (instead of
increased domestic demand) and "serious problems" remain,
such as "mounting pressures on resources and the environment,
increasing difficulty in expanding employment and

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insufficient consumption."


9. (C) The report appeared to take an indirect jab at the
U.S. Congress by stating that, in response to "provocations
from the congresses of some countries concerning the Taiwan
and Tibet questions," China had "engaged in fierce struggle
and defended China's core interests." The report made no
mention of the U.S. Congress in its discussion of
"consolidating mechanisms" for regular exchanges with foreign
legislatures, noting only that it improved dialogue with
Great Britain, France, Japan, South Korea and Egypt.


10. (C) Laying out the priorities for the NPC Standing
Committee in the coming year, Wu listed as areas for
improvement the need to take a "target-focused" approach with
an emphasis on key problems, the need to urge the government
to enact implementing regulations in a timely way and the
usual pledge to provide better support to deputies. Wu also
recommended that the NPC coordinate better among the NPC
special committees, increase awareness among the public and
government organs about the rule of law, "accept the
oversight of the people" and "listen to the opinions of
deputies." The NPC would "take decisive steps" to meet the
previously set goal of "establishing a legal system of
socialism with Chinese characteristics" by the year 2010, Wu
emphasized. Wu said the emerging legal system was "dynamic,
open and in the process of development." Finally, Wu
returned to the theme of avoiding "Western" legal models,
which "cannot be copied mechanically in establishing our
own." Some Western laws, Wu said, are "incompatible" with
Chinese conditions, and China needs to enact laws to meet its
needs that may not be part of other legal systems.
PICCUTA