Features
Wang Huning: A Communist Mandarin
by Kumar David
Wan Huning is an exceptionally brilliant individual or so says N. S. Lyons in a piece on October 11, in the website Palladium. No surprise in a nation of 1.4 billion souls.
Wang represents a school of communist theoreticians underpinning the ideological continuity of Chinese Communist political-economy as it evolved from the Deng era. Jiang Zemin first spotted Wang, who then worked through the presidencies of jellyfish Jiang and apparatchik Hu Jintao to the now powerful Xi Jinping. He is currently the CCP’s top theoretician and lead-ideologist behind Party ‘thought’. He is in the seven-member Standing Committee of the Politburo and unofficially ranked fifth in precedence. Surprisingly, little has been written about him; even in China, he remains an enigma. Though he has authored 20 books, they have not been much discussed and a Chinese language web search threw up little useful information.
To use Lyons’ imagery, Wang and his theoretical cognoscenti constitute an unobtrusive party Machiavelli-cluster standing behind the throne and making sure the emperor does as he is told. Did the ambitions Zhu Rongji, Jiang Zemin’s “capitalist roader” finance minister, have the approval of party theoreticians at that stage in China’s politico-economic transition, or were there factional tensions? I think the latter; divergent theoretical-ideological factions are unavoidable in a huge entity like the CPC (80 million strong) and this implies tensions. At present however Wang-theory, for want of a better term, has come to the helm.
My columns are fact-and-theory laden and boring to read. I will quit droning and try this time at least to make it more people oriented. But old habits die hard, so I need to summarise my perception of Chinese political-economy before getting down to the readable bits. If you had the misfortune to read my September 26 piece ‘Category-5 Typhoon in China,’ you can breathe a sigh of relief and skip the five following bullet points.
* China is not a capitalist state in any rational sense that the term capitalism can be used.
* The Deng Xiaoping “revolution” was the use of market mechanisms and capitalism as tools, side by side with state direction, to achieve economic growth. The strategy was successful beyond expectation and China became a vibrant economy and a powerful nation; in the process a rich capitalist class emerged.
* Power remained in the hands of the CPC, unchallenged at all times; the emerging capitalist class could never contest the hegemony of the Party. The CPC core and the nouveau-riche capitalist class, by and large, inhabited different spheres.
* Authoritarianism was the bedrock method of political control.
* In late 2020 and in 2021 the CPC initiated a sharp course correction which is ongoing. The changes consist of: (a) Greater state direction of the economy, (b) reining in the big tech-sector, finance-capital and limiting foreign listings, (c) greater government intervention and scrutiny of companies, (d) tighter regulation of culture-stuff such as Star-Personalities and cleaning TV shows of “undesirable” content, (d) supervising internet access and access to foreign sites, (e) greater control of educational content and opportunities, and (e) enhanced tightening in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Wang, who is 66 years old, has an intensely intellectual personality. “Wang Huning is arguably the single most influential public intellectual alive today”, says Lyon, and I think he means not just in China but in the world. (Quotes from Lyon’s article are marked [L] hereafter). Wang’s official title is First Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party; previously from 2002 to 2020 he was Director of the Central Policy Research Office of the Party. His books include Logic of Politics – Principles of Marxism, and America against America, the latter written after six months touring the US in 1988 as a visiting professor when he became disillusioned that the country was tearing itself apart. To see this in 1988 was certainly prescient, maybe prophetic. “While Americans perceive that they face intricate social and cultural problems, they think of these as scientific and technological issues to be solved separately. This gets them nowhere; their problems are inextricably interlinked and have the same root cause; a radical, nihilistic individualism at the heart of modern American liberalism”: [L]. I doubt if any of his books are available in English, leaving me dependent on obliging Chinese friends.
One quote from Wang is such a striking a reminder of Marx’s concept of alienation that I was stunned to have it from a CPC Politburo member. “The real cell of society in the United States is the individual. The cell foundational as per Aristotle, the family, has disintegrated. Everything has a dual nature, the glamour of commodification abounds; human flesh, sex, knowledge, politics, power, and the law are targets of commodification. The system has created loneliness as its innermost product, along with spectacular inequality. Nihilism has become the American way, a fatal shock to cultural development and the American spirit”; [L]. Elsewhere Wang breaks with orthodox Stalinist-materialism and asserts that social values and culture too are crucial in social and historical dynamics. He is clearly a disciple of the 18th Brumaire and the Civil War in France.
Wang argues that “China has to resist the global liberal sway and be culturally unified, self-confident and led by a strong, centralized party-state. He reflects a desire to blend Marxism with traditional Confucianism to synthesise a foundation for long-term stability” [L]. This is in line with a CPC precept that a strong central state was needed to unify the country. In this he found an influential ally in Xi Jinping who in any case had no option but to rein in nihilistic bourgeois-liberalism, be wary of alien Western culture and take harsh measures against the scourge of corruption. The Party, opportunely, is in the serendipitous position that what it has to do for material success, for social cohesion, and to consolidate its own power have come neatly into congruence.
The immense success of market-reforms have transformed China into a high income (for some) and at the same time an unequal income, unequal opportunity society. [See Technical Note below]. The richest 1% hogs a third of the country’s non-state-owned wealth. Though grinding poverty has been wiped out, most rural folk survive only moderately above subsistence and city employees toil for up to 72 hours a week and earn less than workers in the West. Competition for education and housing is intense, medical care is poor. Individualism is rising as a bogus substitute for genuine liberalism. The 2020-21 course-correction, identified with Xi Jinping, no doubt sprang from within the Party’s ideological core which was alarmed by these trends.
Apart from mass social pressures to which the Party is always sensitive, there was a threat of an imbalance in the power-structure that an assertive capitalist class could have provoked. Above this was competition with America for global hegemony. Chinese capitalism is nowhere near strong enough to compete against the deep pockets, sophistication and experience of American capitalism, or to take forward the Belt & Road Initiative sans the state taking the leading role. The BRI is a state-led initiative – for example the multi-billion dollar railway from China to Europe. The contours of the where and the why of the course correction and the reasons for the Party’s bold assertion of hegemony are clear.
There is however an ineluctable tension in Wang Hunning’s conceptual constructions. Can society leap from the “domain of necessity to the domain of freedom”, or in less grandiose words from the crassness of consumerism and nihilist individualised liberalism, to a higher civilisation as the literati call it, sans transition via a free and democratic polity? Can society leap-frog from authoritarianism, over everyday freedoms, to socialism? The logical answer is NO.
At this time only two nations-societies are paradigms; only two will be influential global models or archetypes. (Whether China’s state-led economic strategy is a better economic track for backward countries is, in comparison, a separate question of trivial dimensions). In the post-WW2 period there were two global paradigms, capitalism sometimes with liberal features (numerous copies) and variations on the Soviet model (Eastern Europe, Maoist China, Cuba and a few others). At the present time I am inclined to the view that my instinct expressed last week (‘United States and Social Democracy’) that the US, with both extraordinary wealth and everyday albeit flawed democracy peeping through the crooked legs of rumbustious populism, is in pole position. Of course this is predicated on the expectation that the visible drift to increasing social-democracy, not some Trump-style malady will profile the USA of posterity.
Technical Note: Everyone’s income and social inequality can increase simultaneously! Consider A, B and C with incomes of 5, 10 and 15 respectively. The mean is 10 and the largest disparity is 10 (15 minus 5). Suppose A, B and C double to 10, 20 and 30. Everybody gets more, the average has risen to 20 and at the same time inequality has increased from 10 to 20 (30 minus 10). The trick is a generalised increase in incomes.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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