Humor Softens the Bite of Chinese Vice Premier

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.

Meantime, an entrenched leader, Premier Li Peng, 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.

Li also repeated Chinese criticism of proposals initiated by Hong Kong Gov. Chris Patten for widening voter participation in selection of the British colony’s legislature.

As for Zhu, in a country where top-level news conferences consist primarily of dull repetitions of well-known party lines, he showed why many view him as a breath of fresh air in China’s top leadership.

Premier Li 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 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.”

“I cannot acknowledge here that I said that,” Zhu deadpanned. “Wantonly cutting off heads is a violation of human rights and against the law. If this appears in the press and is noticed by some people outside China, I’ll get into lots of trouble.”

A ripple of laughter swept through the hundreds of reporters at the Great Hall of the People. Zhu continued: “But I at least have to say that we are determined to wipe out this phenomenon of issuing IOUs.”

Zhu, 64, a former Shanghai mayor who became a vice premier in 1991, was formally elevated Monday by China’s rubber-stamp Parliament, the National People’s Congress, to the top protocol ranking among four vice premiers.

All four officials, plus Li, appeared at Wednesday’s news conference, which came immediately after the conclusion of an annual half-month session of the Congress.

Zhu has a reputation as a tough taskmaster and enthusiastic supporter of market-oriented reforms initiated by senior leader Deng Xiaoping. He has been handling increasingly important jobs concerning economic policy; many analysts believe he has greater authority over the economy than Li.