neo-authoritarianism has been quietly circulated among intellectuals in Beijing but it has not been officially confirmed. People here hold that the debate in mainland theoretical circles on neo-authoritarianism will not stop due to Deng Xiaoping expressing his attitude. The debate will continue in depth in connection with China's political realities.
Concerning Controversial Views on Neo-Authoritarianism
DENG ZIQIANG
Source: Originally published in Shenzhen tequ bao (Shenzhen Special Economic Zone news); reprinted in Ta Kung Pao ( Hong Kong) ( April 17, 1989): 2; FBIS, April 19, pp. 26-28.
The debate on neo-authoritarianism first began among some young and middle- aged scholars in Beijing and Shanghai, and recently spread to ideological and theoretical circles. Here, I would like to summarize the latest developments in the debate and the main viewpoints on this controversial issue.
At present, there is not yet a commonly accepted definition of this term. People who uphold neo-authoritarianism say that neo-authoritarianism, being different from the old authoritarianism, is oriented toward modernization. In political terms, it is not autocracy, but only semi-autocracy; in economic terms, its target is market-oriented restructuring. Wu Jiaxiang, a young scholar, holds that human history inevitably undergoes three stages of development, namely, the stage of old authority, the stage of new authority, and the stage of liberal democracy. Neo-authoritarianism is a transitional stage between traditional society and modern society. Economically, it is characterized by the semi-market economy, which is a transitional form between the natural economy (or product economy) under the rule of the old authority and the free economy (or market economy), and politically, it is characterized by
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Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: Beijing Spring, 1989:Confrontation and Conflict: the Basic Documents.
Contributors: Michel Oksenberg - Editor, Lawrence R. Sullivan - Editor, Marc Lambert - Editor, Qiao Li - Author, H. R. Lan - Translator, Jerry Dennerline - Translator.
Publisher: M. E. Sharpe.
Place of publication: Armonk, NY.
Publication year: 1990.
Page number: 126.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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