He has written a series of open letters to President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao (溫家寶).
"I advised them to leave the Communist Party. It is not capable of reform. History teaches us that no dictatorship can last forever. One day, those with blood on their hands will face a people's trial," he said.
His grim analysis has a lot more takers now than in 2003, the year Hu and Wen took power amid hopes of reforms to bring the political system in line with the dramatic changes in the economy.
But if anything, the crackdown on liberals, journalists, Internet dissidents and lawyers has intensified since.
Many in the outside world argue that political liberalization will follow automatically with increased affluence. One is British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said there was "unstoppable momentum" towards greater political freedom.
Gao said such an argument was just an excuse for the West to trade with a human-rights violator.
But he reserved his fiercest criticism for the two European countries that have done most to build close relations with Beijing.
"Many Chinese people think the governments of France and Germany are as terrible as ours. They are only acting in their self-interest and making a fortune out of the misery of the Chinese people. There will be a price to pay one day for the so-called civilized foreign governments who are honeymooning with the Communist Party," he said. "I want people in the outside world to understand the situation in China. We face a party with millions of troops. I have dozens of plainclothes police around my home. It is hard to use words like understanding and forgiveness with them."
The fact that Gao is still free is perhaps the government's best defense against the lawyer's most strident accusations. Twenty years ago, such an anti-government tirade would have quickly resulted in imprisonment or death. Gao believes he has been left at semi-liberty because the authorities are worried about domestic protests and an international outcry if he is arrested.
"They threaten to arrest me and I say, `Go ahead,'" he says. "I am a warrior who does not care whether I live or die. Such a sacrifice will be nothing to me if it speeds the death of this dictatorship."
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