I Have No Idea What This Means

Seriously. But I'd wager it ain't nothing.

BEIJING, Sept. 8 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has agreed to restore the standing of the reform-minded Communist leader whose death triggered the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, a surprising reversal of party dogma that could prompt new calls for democratic change in China, according to people informed of the decision.

Hu Jintao has approved plans for a series of events honoring the late party chief Hu Yaobang on the 90th anniversary of his birth on Nov. 20, the sources said. The activities would end more than a decade of official silence about a party leader who was sacked by hard-liners in 1987 but remained a hero to the party's reformist wing.

When Hu came in to office, a lot of people hoped he'd be a new reformer. This enthusiasm has since cooled considerably, but is it possible that the optimists were right (for once)?

Try as it might, the Party isn't going to be able to keep a lid on demands for greater democracy. One bad year - slow growth and high inflation, like there was in 1989 - and the Party could see itself pushed out. If anything, they should be more worried now, because the unrest in 1989 was largely confined to the cities. These days, not only are the cities more populous, but the unrest is increasingly rural in nature.

But then what replaces the Party?