‘Off With Heads?’ It Would Be Wrong, China Aide Says

Vice Premier Zhu Rongji, at a news conference closing the National People’s Congress, gave a quick demonstration Wednesday of how he can combine authority and humor--qualities that have made him one of China’s fastest-rising political leaders.

Premier Li Peng asked Zhu to respond to a query about government failure in recent years to guarantee cash payments to peasants for grain. Some local governments have issued IOUs to peasants after diverting the money meant for these payments to other uses; this has aroused great anger in the countryside.

Zhu said the government recently decreed that this must not happen again, and, his voice rising, he noted that a Hong Kong newspaper had quoted him as saying that “if anyone issues IOUs to the farmers or uses agricultural funds for other purposes, I’ll cut his head off.”

“Wantonly cutting off heads is a violation of human rights and against the law,” Zhu deadpanned. “If this appears in the press and is noticed by some people outside China, I’ll get into lots of trouble.” His comments sent a ripple of laughter through the hundreds of reporters at the Great Hall of the People.

Zhu has been handling increasingly important jobs concerning economic policy; many analysts believe he has greater authority over the economy than Li.

Also at Wednesday’s news conference, Premier Li ducked a string of pointed questions from foreign reporters on such issues as his support for the 1989 army crackdown against the Tian An Men Square pro-democracy protests, his own hard-line ideological image and the fact that his reelection Sunday as premier came in legislative voting in which opposing nominations were banned.