Leftists plot against Jiang

By Willy Wo-lap Lam
Senior China Analyst

(CNN) -- Dozens of leftists have converged upon the north China seaside resort of Qinhuangdao to plot strategies against President Jiang Zemin's efforts to liberalize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) structure.

This extraordinary act of defiance by leftists, or Maoist conservatives, is taking place even as Jiang and other top cadres are holding their annual informal conferences at the Beidaihe resort nearby.

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A Chinese source close to the leftists said they wanted to stop Jiang from revising the Communist CCP charter that would make it possible to admit private businessmen to the party.

Leftists led by veteran ideologue Deng Liqun would also be putting pressure on Jiang and company to promote more conservative officials to the Central Committee and the Politburo.

Party ideology and personnel matters top the agenda of the Beidaihe conferences, which are tipped to run into the middle of the month.

The source said it was the first time that leftists, or quasi-Maoists, had challenged Jiang and the party's mainstream factions in such as direct way.

Jiang, however, has asked the party's Propaganda Department to forbid all newspapers and magazines from running articles written by Deng and other ideologues.

New members

Meanwhile, private businessmen nationwide have expressed their eagerness to enroll as CCP members.

A survey by party authorities in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, said 73% of "red capitalists" in the city wanted to join the CCP.

The survey indicated private entrepreneurs, some of whom had assets of more than 100 million yuan, had a good understanding of Jiang's recent teachings on party modernization.

76% of businessmen polled said they wanted to join the party to "raise their comprehensive [personal] qualities."

Only 6 per cent said they wanted to become CCP members to help their business.

Chengdu party authorities also polled ordinary party members, who said they thought it was "necessary" to recruit businessmen into the CCP