PRESS RELEASE
Chinese Communist Party Paper Firmly Rejects Talk of New Cultural Revolution
May 17, 2016 (EIRNS)—With the 50th anniversary of the launching of China’s disastrous Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1966, many anti-China networks have accused Xi Jinping of launching a new Cultural Revolution of his own, essentially saying that his anti-corruption campaign and his strict measures to prevent a color revolution constitute a "personality cult" like Mao’s and a move for tyrannical rule. Some domestic forces have also fed into the nostalgia for the ferment of that era.
The Communist Party paper Global Times today firmly rejected and renounced such talk. Under the title "Society Firmly Rejects Cultural Revolution," the unsigned editorial says bluntly: "The decade-long internal chaos was a huge disaster. It is thus normal to hear people talking about it on the 50th anniversary of this movement."
Global Times notes that in 1981, "the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the authoritative conclusion of the utter denial of Cultural Revolution. Since then, generations of Chinese leaders have all firmly stuck to the conclusion of the resolution. Completely denying the values of the Cultural Revolution is not only an understanding throughout the party, but also a stable consensus of the whole of Chinese society."
The editorial continues:
"It is not possible for such a revolution to be repeated. The decade of calamity caused severe damage, leaving permanent pain for many Chinese. Entirely denying the values of the Cultural Revolution will help Chinese society remain vigilant against the danger of all kinds of disorder. Over the past few years, many developing countries have experienced civil strife, but not China. A significant reason is that the lessons the Cultural Revolution taught us has given the nation a certain immunity. Nobody fears turmoil, and desires stability, more than us.
"China’s development in recent decades started from complete denial of the Cultural Revolution in theory and shifting the focus of the country to economic construction in practice. In the over 30 years, we strived to recover from the losses. The shared goal has provided strong momentum for the country’s progress.... No matter whether it is the anti-corruption campaign and advancing rule of law, or developing the public’s livelihood and reducing social gaps, we must stick to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
"We have bid farewell to the Cultural Revolution. We can say it once again today, that the Cultural Revolution cannot and will not come back. There is no place for it in today’s China."
