Li Meets Press on TV : Chinese Premier Denies Split With Party Leader

Newly confirmed Premier Li Peng submitted to pointed questioning from foreign and Chinese reporters Wednesday in a televised news conference, providing Chinese viewers with a rare look at how top political leaders in the West often are grilled.

Li’s answers, even to a string of potentially embarrassing queries, generally were cautious and broke little new ground. Maintaining his composure and frequently displaying a pleasant smile, Li denied allegations that he has deep policy disagreements with General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, that he is pro-Soviet and that he got his new job because of his close ties to the late Premier Chou En-lai.

In one of his most spirited answers, Li insisted that although Chou and his wife, Deng Yingchao, helped him when he was a child, it is inaccurate to consider him their adopted son. His links to Chou, who died in 1976, had nothing to do with his winning the premiership, he added.

Denies Policy Split

Li, who had been acting premier since November, was confirmed as premier during the 20-day annual session of the National People’s Congress that concluded a few hours before the news conference.

In response to the question about alleged disagreements with Zhao, who heads the Chinese Communist Party, Li declared that they have no policy differences.

“Some foreign press expressed the view that Zhao Ziyang favors reform and the open policy, while I favor stabilizing the economy,” he said. “In so doing, they try to set the two things against each other. As a matter of fact, this is a misunderstanding. The two constitute an entirety and are inseparable.”

Studied in Soviet Union

Largely because Li studied in the Soviet Union, some observers also have labeled him pro-Soviet.

But Li denied that studying in a country necessarily influences a person to lean toward that country politically.

“If you follow that kind of logic, you may think that China will have a pro-United States government in 20 or 30 years, because it now has some 20,000 students in the United States,” he said. “The people who cherish that type of hope will find their hopes dashed, because Chinese students studying abroad, first and foremost, are patriots.”

About one third of Li’s Cabinet members also have studied in the Soviet Union or Eastern Europe.

Li declined to answer a few questions, including one about his experiences during the ultraleftist Cultural Revolution of 1966-76. Li, who was protected by Chou and was in charge of ensuring Beijing’s electric power supply, was never attacked and removed from his position in the way that most of China’s current leaders were in that period. He said that discussing the subject would take too much time and urged his questioner to read biographical materials about him.

Asked whether restrictions on free speech have been or will be eased, Li appeared to contend that significant constraints do not really exist.

Free to Talk

“Students and other Chinese citizens are free to express their opinions within the scope set by law,” Li said. “I don’t think the Chinese government follows a policy of (suppression) in this respect.”

Joining Li at the nearly two-hour news conference were China’s three vice premiers, Yao Yilin, Tian Jiyun and Wu Xueqian, but Li answered a large majority of the questions. The event, held in a reception room of the Great Hall of the People, was attended by about 400 domestic and foreign journalists.

Earlier Wednesday, the National People’s Congress formally approved, as expected, a variety of legislation including:

--A new law designed to increase the power of factory managers and make state-owned enterprises function more like capitalist corporations.

--A law clarifying the rules under which Sino-foreign joint ventures must operate.

--A bill making Hainan Island a province and declaring it a special economic zone with liberal economic policies designed to attract foreign investment.

Before votes were taken approving various laws, resolutions or work reports, five ordinary delegates spoke from the floor for a total of nine times to air their views, bringing a flavor of openness to the proceedings. All measures were passed overwhelmingly through a show of hands.

At the news conference, Vice Premier Yao said inflation will be inevitable in the next few years as China moves forward with reform of irrational prices. But the government hopes to hold inflation below an annual rate of 10%, he said. The official inflation rate in 1987 was 7.2%.

Yao said that grain prices must be raised to encourage increased production and that this will lead to a rise in the prices of other foods derived from grain. Pork and beer are two immensely popular foods that fall into this category.