Source:
https://scmp.com/article/35999/deng-ally-warns-peasants-plight

Deng ally warns of peasants' plight

A CLOSE ally of patriarch Deng Xiaoping has warned the senior echelon of the Communist Party not to overlook the development of agriculture.

Former chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC), Wan Li, reportedly said in a meeting last March with senior CCP leaders that the economy would be in great danger if the authorities continued to ignore peasants' discontent.

Mr Wan's warning was disclosed in the latest issue of China's Elite and was reported by the official China News Service yesterday.

According to the CNS, Mr Wan issued the warning on the eve of the Eighth NPC, but it did not explain why the remark was not reported at the time.

It said that in a meeting with ''responsible senior party officials'', Mr Wan hit out at the poor situation of Chinese farmers and said the relationship between the CCP and the peasants would be in jeopardy if no efforts were made to improve the situation.