Will Death of Zhao ZiYang Spark Off Unrest in China?

The death of former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Zhao Ziyang has sparked off interest in this legendary figure who has been known to introduce liberal political and economic reforms in China.

Born in October 17, 1919, he was 85 when he passed away on the 17 January this year. He held various posts in the People's Republic of China including Premiership in 1980 for 7 years and was General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 87 to 1989. He was deposed in 1989 for the Tiananmen incident.

This large scale protest movement occurred around the time of the death of Hu Yaobang on April 15, 1989, as the country was undergoing economic hardship. Led mainly by students and intellectuals, it was a reaction towards slow reforms. The protesters demanded an end to official corruption and freedoms met with equal resistance from the authorities.

During that time, Zhao ZiYang met up with protesters at the Tiananmen Square and pleaded with them to abandon their vigil. This angered the party which considered him “siding” with the students. They stripped him of his powers; declare martial law and crushed the protesters at Tiananmen heavy handedly.

After the massacre, Zhao was placed under house arrest. He was replaced by Jiang Zemin and spent the remaining 16 years under tight supervision by the government.

His death was kept tight-lipped within the country. Internet condolences of his death through message boards, such as the Strong Nation Forum and the SINA.com were deleted by the moderators. Tiananmen Square and his house were placed under heavy scrutiny for fear of large scale demonstrations, as had been the death of previous leaders such as Zhou Enlai and Hu Yaobang.

Epoch Time interviewed Wang Dan, one of the prominent student leaders at the Tiananmen protest, now, exile in Taiwan, believed that a large scale similar protest is unlikely to happen. Wang however believes that the communist party, like other communist parties worldwide, will not have a “good fate” as it is resistant to reforms.

The same paper also interviewed renowned researcher Mr. Su Shaozhi, currently exile in new Jersey for his involvement during the June 4th incident.

Like Wang Dan, he believes that the CCP, which is dictatorial, will face a backlash when the situation becomes extreme. He believes that the public has to be made aware of the issues so that they will oppose against the autocratic regime.

While it is still unclear if Zhao, viewed as an important political beacon in China, who passed away recently, will spark off a protest movement; his contribution to liberalize China will always be fondly remembered.  ¶ 2:00 pm