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O 111313Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2821
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
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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 
 
BEIJING 00000633  002 OF 003 
 
 
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 
 
BEIJING 00000633  003 OF 003 
 
 
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