This 'public letter', which has been circulating online, urges the restoration of term limits for the President of China and advocates for democratic constitutional amendments. (Excerpted from the 'Siyuan Lake BBS' website)
[People News] An 'open letter' claiming to be signed by students from various universities in China surfaced on the 'Siyuan Lake BBS' website around 3 PM on October 26. The post calls for reinstating term limits for the President of the Communist Party of China, promoting democratic constitutional reforms, and ensuring citizens have the space to discuss national issues.
However, verification by Radio Free Asia revealed that the registration details of the website that published this post indicate a 'country and region' code of 'KR', which corresponds to South Korea. The contact address is listed as '16 Collyer Quay' in Singapore, and the administrator's email is registered on Tencent's server.
Given this information, it is challenging to ascertain whether this simplified Chinese website operates within China. The identity of the organisation or company managing it has yet to be verified.
The 'open letter' was posted at 3:18 PM and is titled 'A Joint Appeal from a Group of Republican University Students'. It is addressed to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and the members of the 20th Central Committee's Fifth Plenary Session, commemorating the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth.
The article references the past statements of Sun Yat-sen, Mao Zedong, and Deng Xiaoping on democracy, power oversight, and leadership systems, raising concerns about the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) 2018 constitutional amendment that removed the two-term limit for the President and Vice President. It argues that political stability should derive from the predictability of the system and advocates for 'setting time limits on power and subjecting it to oversight.'
The open letter outlines three key demands: In this regard, we earnestly propose three expectations:
1. Abolish the indefinite extension of the presidency and restore the term limits clearly defined in the constitution to ensure an orderly transition of power; the highest leadership roles within the party should also establish clear term regulations;
2. Initiate democratic constitutional reforms by convening a national constitutional amendment conference, gradually and steadily expanding the public's substantive participation in governance, enhancing election, oversight, and recall mechanisms, and progressively fulfilling the long-held aspiration since the Xinhai Revolution—returning power to the people;
3. Ensure that citizens have the legal space to discuss national issues, empowering the youth of the republic to speak the truth and treating criticism as constructive feedback to be heard.
The text further states: 'We do not intend to confront, nor do we wish to create divisions. We are simply a group of young individuals raised on the teachings of Mr Sun Yat-sen, with the sentiment that 'the revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades must continue to strive,' willing to shoulder the responsibilities of scholars for the long-term future of this nation.'
The post lists the 'signatory schools,' which include Peking University, Renmin University of China, Tongji University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xiamen University, and Nankai University among 14 institutions, noting that signatures are 'still being collected.' However, the list only includes the names of the universities without any individual signatures or proof of endorsement.
As of midnight Beijing time on October 27, the website indicates that this article has been viewed by only 656 people and has received just 1 like. The author listed is 'Lin Ziyi', with the account level marked as 'LV.1'. The site notes that this is 'Lin Ziyi's' first article. The article does not provide any names, numbers, contact details, or other verifiable information regarding the co-signing students. Radio Free Asia has yet to independently verify the author's identity, confirm whether the co-signers are indeed current students, or ascertain if the listed schools have students involved.
The website 'Siyuanhu BBS', which published this post, categorises its content into various themes, with the 'Open Letter' appearing in the 'Complaints and Watering' section. The entire site is in Simplified Chinese and resembles a typical campus job-seeking or life information bulletin board. However, it is noted at the bottom of the webpage that this is a 'non-official campus forum', and a closer look reveals that its web address ends in '.com', rather than the usual '.cn' associated with the Chinese Communist domain.
(Transferred from Radio Free Asia) △
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