Retired Chinese communists speak out against censorship
Cautiously promising news from China:
Communist party elders are defying China’s censors by pressing ahead with a bold demand for freedom of expression, after authorities erased their attack on the “invisible black hand” of central propaganda officials.
Twenty-three former senior officials known for their reformist views, including Mao Zedong’s secretary Li Rui and a former editor of the People’s Daily, Hu Jiwei, signed the open letter.
Analysts expressed scepticism about the prospects for change in the near future, and stressed that the signatories no longer had power, but said their action might help people within the leadership to push for reforms.
You can read the full story here.
UPDATE: Alas, the promise did not play out.
There’s a female foreign secretary there I thought was pretty impressive on TV although only seems to be on CCTV English Language Channel – probably so as to keep the men in power. I wondered if reform would coalesce around her.