China: Information on Hua Guofeng and his followers (both in China and Mozambique) since his exclusion from the Chairmanship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1981
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CHN17402.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, China: Information on Hua Guofeng and his followers (both in China and Mozambique) since his exclusion from the Chairmanship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1981, 1 May 1994, CHN17402.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad2a1c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on former Premier Hua Guofeng since his exclusion from the chairmanship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is scarce.
In September 1980, Hua Guofeng resigned as premier but retained his chairmanship of the CCP (The Far East and Australasia 1993 1994, 190; Ogden 1992, 60). In June 1981 he was replaced as chairman of the CCP by Hu Yaobang (ibid.; The Far East and Australasia 1993 1994, 190). The "rectification campaign" initiated by Deng Xiaopeng to eradicate leftist influences led to Hua's demotion to vice-chairman of the CCP, and in September 1982 Hua was excluded from the Politburo (ibid.).
One analyst notes that "Hua never suffered from the same level of personal vilification as other senior leaders," as he was allowed to retain a symbolic position on the politburo (Ogden 1992, 60). Rumors that Hua attempted to commit suicide were reported (ibid.). The date and details of Hua's suicide attempt were not provided. Another source reported in 1992 that Hua continued to live in Peking and was in his early seventies (Byron and Pack 1992, 415).
The majority of Hua's support came from leftist army and party cadres (ibid.; Asian Survey Mar. 1982, 244, 251). According to one observer, all of the members of Hua's faction were forced to resign from the CCP central committee in February 1979 (Ogden 1992, 60). Another source reports that by the summer 1982, Hua and his supporters had been divested of their official posts (The China Quarterly September 1990, 408).
Despite his replacement as a chairman of the CCP in June 1981, Hua reportedly still had followers in the late 1981 and early 1982 (BBC 9 Dec. 1981; Business Week 31 May 1982).
To further erode Hua's bases of support at lower levels of the CCP and army, an "internal rectification" campaign was launched in August 1983 (Fontana 1982, 254). A few hundred party members considered to be leftists were expelled and several were arrested and tried (Amnesty International Report 1984 1985, 219; Country Reports 1984 1985, 733).
For further details on Hua Guofeng and his supporters in China, please refer to the attachments. Information on the treatment of Hua's supporters in Mozambique could not be found among the sources currently available.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Amnesty International. 1985. Amnesty International Report 1984. London: Amnesty International.
Asian Survey [Berkeley, Calif.]. March 1982. Vol. 12, No. 3. Dorothy Grouse Fontana. "Background to the Fall of Hua Guofeng."
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 9 December 1981. "Hua Guofeng's Influence Still Exists in the Army." (NEXIS)
Business Week [New York]. 31 may 1982. Sol W. Wanders. Industrial Edition. "How the Gang of Four Is Haunting Deng." (NEXIS)
Byron, John and Robert Pack. 1992. The Claws of the Dragon. New York: Simon and Schuster.
The China Quarterly [London]. September 1990. No. 123. Lowell Dittmer. "Patterns of Elite Strife and Succession in Chinese Politics."
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1984. 1985. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
The Far East and Australasia 1993. 1994. 24th ed. London: Europa Publications Ltd.
Ogden, Suzanne. 1992. 2nd ed. China's Unresolved Issues: Politics, Development, and Culture. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Attachments
Amnesty International. 1985. Amnesty International Report 1984. London: Amnesty International, p. 219.
Asian Survey [Berkeley, Calif.]. March 1982. Vol. 12, No. 3. Dorothy Grouse Fontana. "Background to the Fall of Hua Guofeng," pp. 237-54.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 9 December 1981. "Hua Guofeng's Influence Still Exists in the Army." (NEXIS)
Business Week [New York]. 31 may 1982. Sol W. Wanders. Industrial Edition. "How the Gang of Four Is Haunting Deng." (NEXIS)
Byron, John and Robert Pack. 1992. The Claws of the Dragon. New York: Simon and Schuster, pp. 414-15.
The China Quarterly [London]. September 1990. No. 123. Lowell Dittmer. "Patterns of Elite Strife and Succession in Chinese Politics," pp. 408-09.
The Far East and Australasia 1993. 1994. 24th ed. London: Europa Publications Ltd., p. 190.
Ogden, Suzanne. 1992. 2nd ed. China's Unresolved Issues: Politics, Development, and Culture. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 59-61.