Former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently published a long article reminiscing about his mother, mentioning that being an official in Zhongnanhai was “like walking on thin ice” and that “the China I have in mind should be a country full of fairness and justice,” etc. The article has now been banned from WeChat. The article has been banned from sharing by WeChat, raising concerns.
Former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently wrote an article in memory of his mother, Yang Zhiyun, who passed away last December. The lengthy article, published in four parts in the Macau Herald from March 25 to April 15, talks about his mother’s life, his education, his official career and his hopes for China.
In the article, Wen Jiabao wrote about his mother’s feelings about his premiership: “My mother is worried about me taking on a big responsibility. The first thing I did was to make a return plan.”
The most remarkable thing is the end of the article, where Wen Jiabao writes: “I sympathize with the poor and the weak, and oppose bullying and oppression. The China I have in mind should be a country full of fairness and justice, where there is always respect for the human heart, humanity and the essence of human beings, and where there is always the temperament of youth, freedom and struggle. I have cried out and fought for this.”
Wen Jiabao’s article entitled “My Mother”, which could still be seen on the social platform WeChat by press deadline, was banned from being shared because “the article violates WeChat’s public platform operation norms”; and according to other media reports, the original reprinted content of Chinese media such as Phoenix.com was all removed, causing public concern, where the end of the article The end of the article, which stated that China should be a “country full of fairness and justice,” was seen as a step away from the current governance line of the Xi Jinping administration.
Cai Xia, a former professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China who now lives in the United States, pointed out that the article had been “self-censored” and that the words “democracy” and “rule of law” were not included in the long article. Even so, the article was still forbidden to be forwarded and shared.
“This shows how much the totalitarian ruling authorities on the mainland are afraid of ‘democracy and the rule of law’. They fear the rights of the people.” Cai Xia wrote on social media Twitter.
In 2010, when then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao went to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, he gave an interview to CNN about many sensitive issues, but not about the June 4 Incident, human rights and the Internet blockade. However, sensitive issues such as the June Fourth Incident, human rights and the Internet blockade were not broadcast in the Chinese media. At the time, Wen said that freedom of speech was “essential” and that the Chinese people’s desire for democracy and freedom was “inevitable.
Wu Jolai, an independent scholar in the United States, believes that Wen’s article may have touched a sensitive nerve with the authorities and was seen as a grab for discourse, and was therefore blocked.
“The fact that he is a former national leader at the premier level and that such a mild article was blocked proves that they [the authorities] do not allow any article that might be secretly critical, or have suspected discontent.” Wu Jolai told the station.
He argued that the Chinese Communist Party system is difficult to change, but Wen Jiabao is genuinely anti-Cultural Revolution and seeks political reform, which is obviously at odds with the current regime’s line, so he took the opportunity to remember his mother’s article “without spilling his guts.
The press conference after the conclusion of the 2012 National People’s Congress was Wen’s last press conference before his retirement, and he repeatedly mentioned “reform” and said that without political reform, the historical tragedy of the Cultural Revolution could happen again. “Not only should we carry out reform of the economic system, but also reform of the political system, especially reform of the Party and state leadership system.”
However, there are also many who see Wen Jiabao as a “movie star” and focused on showmanship, while the New York Times, a U.S. media outlet, mentioned in a lengthy report in 2012 that the Wen family had accumulated at least $2.7 billion in assets over the past 20 years. Li Nanyang, the daughter of Chinese Communist Party patriarch Li Rui and a resident of the United States, criticized Wen Jiabao for not doing anything despite having more power than current Premier Li Keqiang at the time, and instead continuing to put on a show after his retirement.
“It will be different when he is in the seat, and after he comes down, he only has to talk about it,” Li Nanyang laughed, “What is the use of talking about it? He also did not say anything to the point, you see he is simply self-performance.”
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