ALTHOUGH the suppression of the Tibetan people's rising may have weakened China's influence abroad, the election by the Chinese Communist Party Congress of Liu Shan-Chi as Chairman of State will almost certainly strenthen Communism in China itself.
And it is reasonable to anticipate that, when the first memory of what has been done in Tibet has been dulled, Liu Shao-Chi will intensify China's "missionary" efforts for Communism in the colonial areas of the world.
Liu Shao-Chi is, perhaps, the most "apostolic" of all the Chinese Communist leaders who. in turn, are as a group more "ideological" than are their Russian counterparts.
Dedicated
Responsibility at the top-most level is now shared between MaO Tse-Tung and Liu Shao-Chi. Mao, who continues as Chairman of the Party, will be enabled to make a greater contribution as a result of passing some of his responsibilities to Liu Shao-Chi. And Liu will be in a better position to make his full contribution to the life of the Party and, in particular, to applying the Party's theories to the life of China's 650,000,000 people, .
Liu Shao-Chi is seen by many western observers as the 'Grey Eminence" of the Chinese Communist Party.
He is an outstanding Marxist theoretician. In his personal life, be stands out as being austere and totally dedicated. even among this group of austere men. Despite the enormous amount of power they have in their hands. they succeed in keeping their lives much closer to those of the common people than do, for example, their Russian counterparts.
Idealism
Some commentators have stressed Liu's "coldness". Those familiar with his lectures and ! writings over the years, however, ! are more conscious of the warmth of his idealism which can be compared only to religious fervour. Indeed, much of his language would appear to be consciously aimed at the spiritual side of his followers.
Basic to his teaching is the thought that the Chinese example can and should be followed in the newly developing areas. "The path taken by the Chinese people." he has said. "is the path that should be traced by the peoples of colonial and semi colonial countries."
Typically, his concern is with man in the mass rather than with man the individual. In his book "How to be a Good Communist" Liu wrote: "To a Communist, it is most unworthy and inadvisable to make sacrifices for the interest of any individual or a small number of people.
"But, if sacrifice has to be made for the Party, for class and national liberation, that is for the emancipation of mankind ... countless Communist Party members will face death with equanimity and make any sacrifice without the slightest hesitation."
D.H.