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China 'will not have democracy'
 Mr Wu said China's state organs would follow the Party line |
China will never adopt Western-style democracy with a multi-party system, its top legislator has said.
Parliament chief Wu Bangguo said that China would draw on the achievements of all cultures but would not "simply copy" the West. [China has finally hit those rebelious teen years; those years where they want independence and don't just want to do what their parents tell them.]
Communist Party leadership should be strengthened and "the correct political orientation" maintained, he said. [Either a) The quote is in the wrong place, or b) He said it as he was extremely calm. I much prefer option B (I like that writing style).
Mr Wu made the comments in a speech to the National People's Congress, China's annual parliament session.
He ranks second only to President Hu Jintao in the Communist Party hierarchy. [You see, every communist leader--upon taking up the torch of leadership--must compete in a three legged footrace with his wife. This footrace does not have multiple parties competing; it is merely a race against the clock. Apparently, Hu Jintao and his wife are pretty fast.]
"We must draw on the achievements of all cultures," he told delegates in Beijing's Great Hall of the People. [As the Pope maintained, looked on.]
 | REYNOLDS' CHINA   No wiggle room whatsoever... but other leaders have left the door slightly more ajar  |
"But we will never simply copy the system of Western countries or introduce a system of multiple parties holding office in rotation," he added.
"Although China's state organs have different responsibilities, they all adhere to the line, principles and policies of the Party." [...pertaining to the people of the papaland.
Correspondents say Mr Wu's statement appeared to be a deliberate rejection of calls in China and abroad for greater liberalisation. [Newsflash!: I don't think he meant for it to be taken as anything else.]
China faces a number of highly sensitive anniversaries this year, including 20 years since the military crushed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, and 50 years since an anti-China uprising in Lhasa that sparked the Dalai Lama's flight into exile.
The authorities in Beijing also fear that the economic downturn and job losses for millions of migrant workers could trigger outbreaks of social unrest.
My two Chocolate Chips: China will become democratic within 20 years. People always become extremely stubborn just when they realize there might be some-ting wong, with their views.
(source: BBC)
