Suddenly, the slogan 'Avoid controversy' has supplanted President Jiang Zemin's favourite rallying cry, 'Talk more about politics'.
Given the imminent July 1 handover, the energy of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) top echelon is consumed with putting up a facade of unity to ensure the leadership could take maximal credit for the resumption of control over Hong Kong.
President Jiang, who stands to gain most from a trouble-free transition, has, however, been racked by tremors that have shaken the political stage since the death of Deng Xiaoping.
These included the 20,000-character 'anti-reform' tract circulated by the leftists; an 'anti-Jiang' petition allegedly written by ousted party chief Zhao Ziyang; and calls for political liberalisation made by longstanding Jiang foe, National People's Congress (NPC) chairman Qiao Shi.
To calm the waters, Mr Jiang earlier this month asked the Propaganda Department to issue a circular on the need to 'put controversies behind us'. Theorists and media personnel were told to eschew contentious issues such as whether privatisation should be tolerated; how to deal with ethnic minorities; and, in general, how to 'further develop' Deng's legacy.
Frenetic manoeuvring, however, is going on just beneath the surface. And Mr Jiang's critics have claimed that in spite of his 'bury the hatchet' edict, it is Mr Jiang himself who has exacerbated the contradictions by trying to steal a march over his opponents.
