Internal party strife in China

To outsiders, any internal problems that arise within the Chinese Communist Party's leadership -- which, incidentally, is also the state leadership -- remain an enigma. The speech made on March 1 by the Prime Minister of the State Council, Comrade Li Peng, before the National People's Congress, only gives us a formal report of the measures that have been taken by the Chinese government, including successes and shortcomings.

However, when we take a look at the Chinese newspapers, which have dared to report the criticism that has been aired by party cadres, and the doubts which they have expressed about the leadership style and the ideological leanings of certain top- echelon government officials who openly endorse Deng Xiaoping's ideology, then we get the impression that the internal ideological struggle within the world's largest communist party is not yet over.

True, Li Peng closed his speech by praising comrade Deng's ideology and policies and by vowing to preserve them, but the party leadership's call on the People's Liberation Army to continue to support the Party indicates that something indeed needs to be tackled.

The nations of Southeast Asia cannot afford to ignore what is going on on the Chinese mainland. This country, whose population totals almost a billion and a half, with descendants who hold vital economic positions throughout Southeast Asia, will determine what will happen in this region.

-- Merdeka, Jakarta