Chinese Dismissal Believed Part Of Power Struggle

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31079, 7 June 1966, Page 18

Chinese Dismissal Believed Part Of Power Struggle

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright’ LONDON, June 6. Western governments with mil .ons in China are convinced that the dismissal of Peking’s Mayor, Mr Peng Chen, marks the final stage of a power and policy struggle touched off by Mao Tse-tung’s failing health, Arthur Gavshon, reported for the Associated Press.

Gavshon wrote: Diplomatic reports reaching London suggest that the months-long purge may yield yet more prominent victims, with Lo Juiching, Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, among them. Lo disappeared from public view last November—one month after high-level party meetings took place. Both Peng, aged 67, and Lo, aged about 63. were regarded as proteges of the Communist Party chairman, Mr Mao, and possible contenders of the leadership after Mr Mao’s death.

Mr Mao’s declining health —he is known to be suffering from Parkinson’s disease—clearly has limited his power to defend former associates. As Western diplomats see developments, the public search for “Right-wing revisionists” has reached its climax and the outcome of the struggle it concealed already has been resolved.

The identity of the victors

at this stage can only be guessed at, but they are believed to include the six men who, with Mr Mao, form the standing committee of the party’s politburo.

The six are: Mr Liu Shaochi, 67-year-old President who is widely regarded as Mao's heir apparent; Mr Chu Tet, aged 79, who has been associated with Mr Mao for nearly 40 years; Mr Chou En-lai, the 67-year-old Prime Minister, who is regarded by Westerners as a shrewd negotiator: Mr Lin Piao, aged 57, Defence Minister and First Deputy Premier, who has lately laid

down new lines of theory I about how the Chinese revolution should be exported; Mr Chen Yun aged 60, a leading economist who has the reputation of being a genuine “comrade in arms” of Mr Mao; and Mr Teng Hsiao-ping, 61-year-old party SecretaryGeneral who spoke for the Chinese during successive ideological conferences with the Russians.

The theory of Western authorities is that the crisis inside China relates to personal rivalries as well as to policy matters. The campaign that led to the disgrace of Mr Peng, in their view, was carefully planned and likely to be extended from Peking to the provinces in the immediate future.