'The idea of communism is a tragedy, a disaster. All countries that embraced communism have failed.'
- Mao Yushi
'Mao, who was seated next to her on a bulky armchair, took little heed, speaking with a frankness that might land a less esteemed public figure in jail. “The freer a country is, the richer it is. There are no unfree countries that are rich,” he said in Chinese. Alert and focused but clearly frail, he wore gray long-underwear bottoms and a navy cardigan over a light blue button-down shirt. “The idea of communism is a tragedy, a disaster,” he went on. “All countries that embraced communism have failed, without exception.” Yet though Mao has continued to call for China to transition to a more unapologetically capitalist system, he doesn’t advocate regime change or anything like it.''At one point, Mao and Sheng were commissioned to devise an economic strategy for the remote city of Kashgar, in the western region of Xinjiang. Their proposal—that the ancient trading hub reestablish links with the countries along the historic Silk Road—anticipated the “Belt and Road” initiative, Xi’s signature foreign economic policy.
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Unirule’s freedom shrank somewhat in the mid-2000s, when President Hu Jintao moved to curtail criticism of state policies. But the organization remained a vital force, with as many as 30 staff members and annual revenue that exceeded 5 million yuan in 2004. In 2011 it thrilled entrepreneurs and infuriated government officials by publishing a widely read report arguing that virtually all of China’s state-owned enterprises would be unprofitable without favors such as low-interest loans and cheap land. That year, Mao also published an essay, “Returning Mao Zedong to Human Form,” that called the late dictator “childish” and argued that his “capacity for destroying the country was higher than anyone.” In a nation where the founding leader’s image adorns most every bank note, it was provocative stuff.
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Back in Beijing, the government was preparing to hand leadership to Xi, a dedicated communist who’d spent his entire adult life in party institutions. As he consolidated power, sidelining critics from both the right and the left and extending the reach of party propaganda, Unirule found itself targeted. At first, it was bit by bit. Starting in about 2015, some of Sheng’s and Mao’s posts on social media platforms WeChat and Weibo (where Mao had more than 2.6 million followers) began disappearing. Venues around Beijing canceled Unirule seminars and panel discussions, citing burst water mains, mysterious power cuts, or other excuses.
No one from the government ever informed Unirule of what it had done to offend, but Sheng and Mao hardly needed to be told. Many of Xi’s policies were focused squarely on reestablishing the centrality to economic life of the state in general and state-owned companies in particular. And other sources of independent research were in even worse trouble. A prominent legal and economic think tank, the Transition Institute, was shut down after officials said it lacked proper registration. Consensus Net, a website that published essays and commentaries by academics, went permanently offline.
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Mao, who was seated next to her on a bulky armchair, took little heed, speaking with a frankness that might land a less esteemed public figure in jail. “The freer a country is, the richer it is. There are no unfree countries that are rich,” he said in Chinese. Alert and focused but clearly frail, he wore gray long-underwear bottoms and a navy cardigan over a light blue button-down shirt. “The idea of communism is a tragedy, a disaster,” he went on. “All countries that embraced communism have failed, without exception.” Yet though Mao has continued to call for China to transition to a more unapologetically capitalist system, he doesn’t advocate regime change or anything like it. To emphasize the point, he pulled out a yellowed copy of the constitution of the People’s Republic, which nominally guarantees freedom of speech and assembly. “Everything I do is according to the constitution,” he said.'
- Bloomberg,
China’s Latest Crackdown Target Is Liberal Economists, May 11, 2019
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