读卖新闻 中国需为“和谐社会”而改革

中国日益加大的贫富之间差距以及全国范围内的环境破坏如果不加以解决，将成为威胁中国社会稳定的问题，导致共产主义政权的崩溃。对潜在危机的感知显然成为于15日开幕的共产党代表大会的潜在关切。

　　在致代表大会（五年一度）的政治报告中，中共中央总书记胡锦涛（他也是中国的国家主席）建议国家摆脱之前增长为先的政策，代之以更“平衡和可持续的增长”。

　　三年前，胡锦涛在他的“科学发展观”指导原则上首次提出这一政策。在党代表大会期间，该提议可能将被列为该党极为重要的指导思想之一，与毛泽东思想和邓小平理论放在一起。新原则的列入将显示胡锦涛确立在未来五年的第二任期期间作为最高领导人的权力。

　　但他面临崎岖的道路。

收入差距仍在加大

　　快速经济增长导致的不平等非常严重。在过去五年，中国的国内生产总值几乎翻了一番。但贫富差距在加大，估计高收入和低收入群体之间的收入差距高达55倍。普通市民和农民（那些不属于少数特权群体的人们）失去他们的房子和农田而没有获得足够的补偿。

　　没有迹象显示环境恶化会很快停止。事实上，远没达到可持续增长，人们的生活和健康受到威胁。

　　胡温政府重视民生领域，例如农业、医药、教育、养老金和环境，努力纠正快速增长的负面效应。

　　在致党代表大会的报告中，胡锦涛用了整整一章表述改善这样的民生问题。在他的政府领导下，社会保障支出占政府整体支出的比率和前任相比已经增加了一倍，约为11%。但很难说已经产生了什么明显的积极效果。

保持对地方政府的制约

　　反对广泛存在的腐败现象的措施也是迫切需要的。对地方政府（其运作是腐败的温床）的管制可能将变得更严厉。上海有高官被捕，这是加强控制的典型例子之一。

　　而且地方政府没有积极落实节能和清楚污染物质的措施。胡锦涛政府制定了一项政策，在评估地方政府领导绩效时把那些措施的实施水平纳入考虑。

　　为了实现胡锦涛的“和谐社会”，必须大力加强对不服从党的指导并仍然坚持增长为先政策的地方政府的控制。为了实现这一目标，该党的高层管理人员需要掌握地方的实际情况，并实施改革，例如由居民监督行政。

　　但胡锦涛的报告仅仅提出老旧的政策：寻求“扩大公民有序的政治参与”。为了实现真正的“和谐社会”，有必要实施反映中国日益多元化的社会的政治改革。

China needs reforms for 'harmonious society'

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Widening gaps between the haves and have-nots and nationwide environmental destruction in China are problems that if left unsolved could threaten the stability of Chinese society and doom the Communist regime to collapse. This feeling of potential crisis apparently served as an underlying concern at the Communist Party Congress that started Monday.

In a political report to the congress, which is held once every five years, party General Secretary Hu Jintao, who is also the Chinese president, proposed that the nation depart from its previous growth-first policy and instead seek more "balanced and sustainable growth."

Hu first proposed this policy course three years ago with his guiding principle of a "Scientific Development Perspective." During the congress session, the proposal likely will be listed as one of the party's paramount guiding ideologies, along with Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory. The inclusion of the new principle will signal the establishment of Hu's power as the supreme leader over the next five years as he enters his second term.

But he faces a rocky road.

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Income gap still widening

Disparity resulting from rapid economic growth dating back to the previous administration under former President Jiang Zemin is extremely serious.

Over the past five years, China's gross domestic product almost doubled. But the gap between the rich and the poor grew, with an estimate putting it as high as a 55-fold difference in income between high- and low-income groups. Ordinary citizens and farmers, who are not a part of the privileged few, are losing their houses and farmland without receiving sufficient compensation.

There is little sign that environmental degradation will let up any time soon. In fact, far from sustainable growth, people's lives and health are threatened.

The administration of Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao has placed importance on such civilian-sector issues as agriculture, medicine, education, pensions and the environment in an effort to rectify the adverse effects of fast growth.

In the report to the congress, Hu devoted an entire chapter to improving such civilian-sector problems. Under his administration, the rate of social security expenditure to overall government spending has doubled to more than 11 percent compared with Jiang's time in office. But it is hard to say that positive effects have been noticeably generated.

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Keeping local govts in check

Measures against widespread corruption also are urgently required. Controls on local governments, which have functioned as hotbeds of corruption, likely will become tougher. Shanghai, in which the city's top official was arrested, is a typical example of the stricter controls.

Local governments also have not been active in implementing measures to conserve energy and to remove or reduce contaminated materials. The Hu administration set out a policy to take into account levels of achievement of those measures in its merit evaluation of local government leaders.

For the achievement of Hu's "harmonious society," it is necessary to dramatically step up control over local governments that do not comply with the party's guidance and still stick to growth-first policies. To that end, the party's top executives need to grasp the situations on the ground in local areas and implement reforms such as administrative surveillance by residents.

But Hu's report only presented a stereotyped policy of seeking "expansion of the participation of citizens in politics in a well-ordered manner." Notably, there were reports of public security authorities detaining human-rights activists and others before the opening of the congress.

To achieve a truly "harmonious society," it is necessary to carry out political reforms that reflect China's increasingly diversified society.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 16, 2007)

(Oct. 16, 2007)