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I am from the Law School of Peking University and a colleague of that professor [Gong Xiantian], just mentioned by President Gao [Gao Shangquan], who wrote an open letter against the adoption of the Real Right Law.1 We 125 chapter five Remarks Given at the New Western Hills Symposium Author’s note: After the Xinglin Villa meeting, the original transcripts of the meeting were widely circulated online, sparking a wide-ranging debate, especially regarding my remarks in the meeting. As a result of those fierce criticisms—more precisely, [the Cultural Revolution–style] criticisms—I feel that it is still difficult to have a rational discussion on the issues raised in my speech in present-day China. The fact that there is no way to have such a discussion reflects one of the biggest obstacles to China’s progress. I have made some changes to the original transcripts in order to more accurately express my views and also to correct some errors. The basic ideas expressed in my speech were not changed. See my blog (http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_48866320010006kn.html November 8, 2006). Editor’s note: The Chinese version of this chapter is based on the author’s remarks at the symposium “China’s Macroeconomics and Reform Trends,” held at the Xinglin Villa in the Western Hills outside of Beijing on March 4, 2006. This symposium was later called the “New Western Hills meeting” (新西山会议). The main participants of the meeting included liberal scholars such as Zhang Weiying (张维迎), professor of economics at Peking University; Sun Liping (孙立平), professor of sociology at Tsinghua University; Yang Dongping (杨东平), professor of education at Beijing Institute of Technology; Shi Xiaomin (石小敏), economist at China Society of Economic Reform; and Li Shuguang (李曙光), professor of law at China University of Political Science and Law. Shortly after the meeting, the meeting minutes were leaked and published online, sparking a heated debate on the Internet. Leftist websites such as the “Banner of Mao Zedong” and “Utopia” launched critiques of the New Western Hills meeting . The prominent economist Ma Bin (马宾) wrote an open letter to Hu Jintao and the Politburo Standing Committee, accusing He Weifang and other like-minded liberal intellectuals of making “pro-American and anti-China traitorous remarks” in the meeting. 06-2290-9 ch05_Yu 10/22/12 10:29 AM Page 125 are quite a unique pair in the school, especially during the dissertation defense of law students, when he would choose the seat at the left end while I would sit at the right end. This often causes big trouble for the students who keep looking to the left and then to the right, at a loss on how to answer our questions, because our viewpoints tend to be diametrically opposite. Up to now we have talked about quite a few issues in broad terms, including the issue pointed out by Professor Li Shuguang. As for the various challenges faced by China’s reform agenda, I think there are two background issues that may be added here. The first is that, as Professor Li Shuguang has noted, these challenges come as the natural result of radical economic reforms not accompanied by political reforms. In his analysis of the French Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville observes that great revolutions and social chaos in many countries were often triggered by nothing other than reforms themselves, and that the otherwise undisturbed social order may be thrown into confusion and violence by reform measures. If a major reform is not well thought out and planned, it will inevitably be unable to strike a balance among different concerns and even intensify existing conflicts, thus leading to social unrest. Therefore, China’s reform must be pushed ahead comprehensively ; otherwise it will give rise to problems of serious consequence. This issue merits some second thoughts, as do some slogans that were feasible in the past, such as “crossing the river while feeling for stones” and “do not argue.”2 The second background issue is that, as we can see in the discussion about the general direction of China’s reform—and to use readily understood terms of reference—people on the left often take a clear-cut stand under the banner of socialism, calling for, among other things, a return to the legislative tradition pioneered by the Soviet Union. They may say so without any risk, and not only that, they may sharply criticize what they perceive as a deviation from the path of socialism and inspire some misgivings on the part of the...

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