China's Communist Party chiefs faced calls for political reform and greater transparency from dissidents and top academics yesterday in the final countdown to a watershed congress this week.
Nearly 200 Chinese political activists signed an open letter urging the party to reverse its damning verdict on the 1989 pro-democracy protests at the 16th National Congress starting on Friday, when top leaders are due to retire, a human rights group said.
Two of the nation's top econ-omists, prominent members of the establishment, also made a bold appeal for clearer rules on how and when party leaders step down as speculation mounted that party chief and President Jiang Zemin (
The appeals highlighted a key theme of the congress -- the mounting pressure on Chinese leaders to modernize their political system.
The New York-based Human Rights in China said the activists' letter credited the party for economic reforms that have made China one of the bright spots in a gloomy world economy.
"But fairly good economic development cannot conceal increasingly visible and deep social threats," it said.
"The problem is that because of the rejection of systemic political reform, because of the rejection of democracy and rule of law, corruption is getting worse and worse," it said.
The letter urged the congress to rethink the verdict on the 1989 protests -- branded a "counter-revolutionary rebellion" -- and compensate victims' relatives.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters were killed when the army cleared Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3-4. Jiang took over the party soon afterwards.
Liu Qing (劉青), president of New York-based Human Rights in China, added the government should "address the legitimate demands for political change from its own citizens" and start by recognizing that the freedom of expression would benefit society.
In the last few days, police have detained democracy activist Fang Jue and boosted surveillance of Chen Ziming, branded a "black hand" organizer of the 1989 protests, relatives say.
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