It’s been a week since Zhao Ziyang passed away and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) restrained mourning ceremonies in China. However, Chinese people outside of China continued to hold large rallies and mourn Zhao’s passing. At these rallies, the CCP was pushed aside as organizers urged the Chinese government to fairly appraise Zhao Ziyang, and allow people to freely commemorate him in China.

The Chinese government hasn’t announced any explicit plans for Zhao’s funeral yet. Some high-ranking officials within the CCP were sympathetic to Zhao and intended to hold a formal ceremony for him as befits a former leader of China. However those people who benefited from the June 4 Massacre oppose such plans. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao have not taken a clear stand on the issue.

Chinese government urged to abandon the CCP and to judge Zhao fairly

The rallies outside of China that commemorated Zhao Ziyang were quite magnificent. Hundreds, even up to tens of thousands of people attended the assemblies in Hong Kong, New York, Washington DC, Southern California, Houston, Tokyo in Japan, Paris in France, Bonn in Germany, Sydney in Australia, and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. They urged the Chinese government to abandon the CCP, to allow people to freely commemorate Zhao Ziyang in China, and to honor Zhao appropriately.

Unlike previous activities like this, the participants at the rallies bypassed the CCP, and appealed directly to the Chinese government.

At least ten civil groups and non-governmental organizations gathered in Washington DC on January 18 to “Commemorate Ziyang, and abandon the CCP”. The organizer said that, the CCP caused Zhao Ziyang’s life to end in tragedy and that abandoning the CCP would be the best way to commemorate Zhao.

The rally attendees urged the Chinese government to appraise Zhao Ziyang fairly and to follow Zhao’s model. They pleaded for the Chinese government to abandon the CCP for the future of China during this critical moment in history.

Expatriate Chinese from academic circles, business, political, and pro-democratic organizations, along with Zhao Ziyang’s former friends, formed a “Committee for a Public Memorial Ceremony for Zhao Ziyang.” At 1 pm on January 22 they held a commemorative ceremony at the Shereton Hotel in Flushing, New York. More than a 100 people attended the ceremony, including Yan Jiaqi (former Director of the Institute of Political Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Chen Yizi (former Director of the Research Institute for the Reform of the Economic Structure of Chinese State Council), Wang Juntao (a well-known dissident) and Sima Lu (expert on CCP history).

The committee issued a “Statement to All Chinese People” and urged the Chinese government to hold a memorial service for Zhao Ziyang immediately and to officially recognize his historical contributions. In the statement, the committee also asked the Chinese government to allow its citizens to freely and publicly mourn Zhao Ziyang.

People generally agree that Zhao Ziyang contributed to the reformation of Chinese economic and political systems, including nationalization of the army and separation of the Party from government administration. He opposed the CCP’s suppression of the student movement using armed forces in 1989 (June Fourth Massacre) and was put under house arrest for fifteen years.

Zhao Ziyang’s death caused dissension within the CCP

Many high-ranking officials in the CCP were sympathetic towards Zhao Ziyang. Ms. Di Sha, wife of Hu Jiwei (former editor-in-chief of the People's Daily) also confirmed to Ming Daily that, several retired senior CCP officials and veterans asked the Central Committee to hold Zhao’s funeral in accordance with his previous position as a leader in China. These veterans included Wai Li, former Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC), Qiao Shi, also former Chairman of NPC, and Tian Jiyun, former vice Chairman of NPC. Hu Jiwei wrote to the Central Committee to plead for restoration of Zhao Ziyang’s reputation and asked that a grand memorial service be held for him.

Oriental Daily reported that some former Chinese leaders, including Qiao Shi, Zhu Rongji (former Chinese premier) and Li Ruihui (former Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee), expressed their intention to attend Zhao Ziyang’s farewell ceremony.

Chen Yizi, former Director of the Economic Reform Institute of State Counsel of the PRC said during the Public Memorial Ceremony for Zhao Ziyang in the Greater New York Area on January 22 that a large group of people in China, including those who had consciences, those who benefited in the 1980s (from Zhao’s reforming policies), and those who had worked with Zhao, strongly urged the government to restore Zhao’s reputation.

On the other hand, officials and people who benefited from the June 4, 1989 event desperately resisted and opposed any kind of commemoration of Zhao. Chinese News Net, quoting an information source from Beijing, said Chinese premier Wen Jiabao held talks on how to handle Zhao’s funeral on January 24. He solicited opinions from senior CCP officials and wanted to achieve a compromise that would be acceptable to Zhao’s family. However, due to Jiang Zemin’s interference, the authorities didn’t achieve an agreement with Zhao’s family.

Where to go from here?

Many foreign governments and leaders are watching the CCP’s handling of this issue. Foreign governments and officials, including the White House, the State Council of the US, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, extended their condolences to Zhao’s family in prepared speeches. Foreign media also published commentaries on Zhao’s career and eventual rejection by the CCP.

The Chinese government obviously feels pressure and is in a dilemma. Apple Daily published a commentary stating that Hu Jintao has two choices. He can either submit to Jiang Zemin’s bullying, form an alliance with those who benefited politically from the June 4 event, and deny the request from Zhao’s family and the CCP veterans; or, if he has the courage and ideals of a statesman, praise Zhao’s career and recognize his accomplishments.

Some intellectuals have stated that the international communist movement has been spurned worldwide, and the few remaining communist regimes are struggling to survive. They suggested that the CCP leaders “understand the reality of the times, enforce the Tao on behalf of Heaven, and voluntarily abandon the CCP” as a way out of the dilemma.