Blunt Truths about Chinese Communism Discussed in Forum

NEW YORK - A full house of China watchers participated in a forum held by The Epoch Times about the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" last Tuesday at the New York Press Club. The "Nine Commentaries," which were first published in the Chinese version of in November, discuss the history of communism in China and criticize the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Clive M. Ansley, an international human rights attorney and a professor at Shanghai Fudam University, spoke at the forum.

Ansley called the judicial system in China "fantastic theater."

Since 1984, when he opened the first foreign law office in Shanghai and through his 14 years of practicing law in China, Ansley handled more then 300 cases in Chinese courts. Trials which took place in Chinese courts appeared real, said Ansley. They had three judges, a lawyer for each party and cross examination, but the verdict was already given in a back room by a CCP committee who decided on up to 25 cases per day without entering the courtroom.

"It was pure fraud set to mislead," said Ansley.

Mr. William Murray, Chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, sees deception in the way the CCP presents itself to the world. Western governments fail to understand the threat of the CCP, according to Murray.

"Financed by the American consumer, China is building a deadly modern military ready to flex its new military muscle," said Murray.

On March 13, the President of China Hu Jintao called on China's military to be ready for war and followed it up with a 12.6 percent increase in the country's defense budget for 2005. The next day, the 10th National People's Congress of China passed the Anti-Secession Law authorizing force to stop Taiwan from pursuing formal independence.

Dr. Wenyi Wang, a medical professional from Mount Sinai Hospital, told her grandfather's story at the forum. In 1947, he had been made to repair guns for the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, which opposed the CCP. Ten years later, when the CCP had cemented its control over China, her grandfather was labeled an anti-communist. He was subjected to great amounts of criticism and humiliation by CCP members and people consumed by communist ideas he came across in his daily life.

Unfortunately, Wang said, he committed suicide.

In general, the group of speakers saw China's Communist Party as maintaining a thin veneer of economic prosperity and trying to keep a firm grip on the people while in fact being corrupt to the core and on its last legs.

On Jan. 24, at a CCP meeting in Beijing, Chinese President Hu Jintao announced a new Campaign to "freshen up" the CCP. The campaign includes three phases: "study and mobilization; analysis and discussion; and finally readjustment and improvement." All CCP members are required to put a mandatory 40 hours into the three phases.

"That shows considerable fear on the part of the CCP," said Erping Zhang, a Mason Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and China expert.

According to recent reports from China, the CCP has tightened its grip even further on information flow. The CCP has made a new rule forcing all journalists to use their real names. Also, in order to access the Internet, people in China now have to give their personal ID numbers.

At least 500,000 Web sites, mostly foreign broadcast news, are now blocked in China.

Ironically, the Chinese constitution, which the CCP in theory accepts, guarantees the people of China freedom of speech, religion and assembly as well as the right to a fair trial.

"The Chinese people should be allowed to decide on their own what form of society they want to have," said Zhang, "The Chinese people did not elect the CCP."