Deng Xiaoping’s son urges China to ‘know its place’ and not be ‘overbearing’
- Deng Pufang says the economic and cultural changes introduced by his father 40 years ago are ‘irreversible’
- Comments in unpublished speech to disabled group offer counterweight to current assertive foreign policy
An influential son of Deng Xiaoping, the former Chinese leader who steered the country towards decades of economic growth, urged his government to “keep a sober mind” and “know its place”, delivering a counterpoint to Beijing’s increasingly ambitious foreign policy and military assertiveness.
“We must seek truth from fact, keep a sober mind and know our own place,” Deng Pufang, the eldest son of Deng Xiaoping, said in a recent speech that was not made public but was obtained by the South China Morning Post. “We should neither be overbearing or belittle ourselves.”
Later in the speech, Deng urged China to embrace a “cooperative and win-win international environment”.
“International uncertainties are on a rise. We should stick to the direction of peace and development, and try to earn a cooperative and win-win international environment,” he said. “The most important thing at the moment is to properly address China’s own issues.”
Deng’s remarks, reminiscent of his father’s signature comment on China’s foreign policy – “hide your edge and nurture your strength”, which means behaving humbly and never taking the lead in world affairs – was made amid an intensive public debate over China’s assertive foreign policy in recent years.
The speech is definitely an effort to put the ‘democratic’ back in democratic centralism by encouraging debate and questioning the current policy line
The speech was delivered as Deng, 74, was re-elected on September 16 the honorary chair of China’s Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF), a semi-official association attached with symbolic political significance mostly because of him. Deng has used a wheelchair since 1968, when he was seriously injured while trying to escape a mob during the Cultural Revolution.