Deft words to speak the unspeakable
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Some deft semantic manoeuvring will be on show as the Communist Party tiptoes around the reality that public ownership will no longer be the dominant force in the economy.
Today President Jiang Zemin will resurrect the idea that China is still in "the primary stage of socialism". This formulation was first put forward at the 13th party congress in 1987 by the reformist party secretary, Zhao Ziyang.
Translated into plain-speak, the phrase means that China is free to employ whatever capitalist tools it desires in order to progress down the modernising road to a socialist future. It may be a long journey; China has admitted this "primary stage" can last 100 years.
This congress's second linguistic contribution pledges the country to "hold high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping's theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics". This is Sino-speak for China sticking to the reform and opening policies Mr Deng launched in 1978. The expression "socialism with Chinese characteristics" was coined at the 1992 party congress, to enshrine the policy that market forces have an central role in Chinese socialism - and to justify the fact that some people were getting richer much faster than others.
This being the first congress since Mr Deng's death in February, Mr Jiang's plan for state-owned enterprises is being touted as the big ideological contribution to the post-Deng era. It was described as "the third emancipation of the mind" by Li Junru, the deputy director of the party's "theory bureau", Mr Deng's 1978 "seek truth from facts" and his 1992 "socialism with Chinese characteristics" qualifying as the first two "emancipations".
One phrase which will not be on anyone's lips in 1997 is "iron rice bowl", the former cradle-to-grave guarantee of social welfare. That one has gone right out of fashion.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments