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Lieutenant General Lambasts China’s Political System
By Zhang Haishan
Aug 25, 2010 Last Updated: Aug 25, 2010
A prominent Chinese military commander has lambasted the Chinese political system in a recent interview and predicted a political transformation toward democracy within the next ten years.
Lieutenant General Liu Yazhou is the Political Commissar of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) University for National Defense.
His public statements make him the first senior active-duty military officer to publicly criticize the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) policies without backlash from the regime.
In a recent interview with Hong Kong’s Phoenix Weekly, Liu said, “A system that does not allow its citizens to breathe freely, nor to maximally unleash their creativity, nor puts those who can best represent the people in leadership positions, is doomed.”
He further pointed out that the former Soviet Union also used to stress [social] stability above all else and regarded it as the ultimate goal.
“Stressing stability as a principle of overriding importance, and moneymaking as the only way to settle everything, will only lead to contradictions being aggravated, and everything will come against you.”
Liu also predicted that a political transformation from authoritarianism to democracy will inevitably take place within ten years.
Expressing reprehension for the “money diplomacy” and “economic powerhouse” concepts embraced by the CCP, Liu said “having more money does not mean having more soft power.”
He also criticized the money worship that defines contemporary mainstream Chinese society, arguing that it has damaged China’s international image.
Liu’s statements were published in the latest Phoenix Weekly issue, in an article entitled “On the West.” An editorial statement said that the content was compiled from the interview with Liu and published without Liu’s final review or approval.
The Liu Yazhou Phenomenon
Liu’s out-of-line remarks have spread quickly across the Internet and have also drawn attention from outside China. Some have conjectured that his comments are a reflection of a factional struggle within the CCP prior to its 18th party congress in late 2012.
The 57 year-old military commander is also a member of the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection, a secretive, powerful internal CCP body that investigates corruption and violations of inter-Party norms.
He is the first senior active-duty military officer since 1989 to make outspoken public remarks in support of Chinese political reform and western political systems without being punished.
His remarks have not only shaken political circles in China, but have also drawn the attention of U.S. intelligence agencies and the U.S. military.
Liu Yazhou was born into a military family.
By Zhang Haishan
Aug 25, 2010 Last Updated: Aug 25, 2010
A prominent Chinese military commander has lambasted the Chinese political system in a recent interview and predicted a political transformation toward democracy within the next ten years.
Lieutenant General Liu Yazhou is the Political Commissar of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) University for National Defense.
His public statements make him the first senior active-duty military officer to publicly criticize the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) policies without backlash from the regime.
In a recent interview with Hong Kong’s Phoenix Weekly, Liu said, “A system that does not allow its citizens to breathe freely, nor to maximally unleash their creativity, nor puts those who can best represent the people in leadership positions, is doomed.”
He further pointed out that the former Soviet Union also used to stress [social] stability above all else and regarded it as the ultimate goal.
“Stressing stability as a principle of overriding importance, and moneymaking as the only way to settle everything, will only lead to contradictions being aggravated, and everything will come against you.”
Liu also predicted that a political transformation from authoritarianism to democracy will inevitably take place within ten years.
Expressing reprehension for the “money diplomacy” and “economic powerhouse” concepts embraced by the CCP, Liu said “having more money does not mean having more soft power.”
He also criticized the money worship that defines contemporary mainstream Chinese society, arguing that it has damaged China’s international image.
Liu’s statements were published in the latest Phoenix Weekly issue, in an article entitled “On the West.” An editorial statement said that the content was compiled from the interview with Liu and published without Liu’s final review or approval.
The Liu Yazhou Phenomenon
Liu’s out-of-line remarks have spread quickly across the Internet and have also drawn attention from outside China. Some have conjectured that his comments are a reflection of a factional struggle within the CCP prior to its 18th party congress in late 2012.
The 57 year-old military commander is also a member of the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection, a secretive, powerful internal CCP body that investigates corruption and violations of inter-Party norms.
He is the first senior active-duty military officer since 1989 to make outspoken public remarks in support of Chinese political reform and western political systems without being punished.
His remarks have not only shaken political circles in China, but have also drawn the attention of U.S. intelligence agencies and the U.S. military.
Liu Yazhou was born into a military family.
