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their activities, including those of “Acting Soviet President Yanayev” and the
“State Committee” set up by the coup. Xinhua gave lengthy descriptions of
the decrees and appeals of the coup leaders, including their denunciations
of Yeltsin. It conveyed statements of support for the coup by various Soviet
groups and leaders. It did not, however, report on the activities or statements
of Yeltsin or other opponents of the coup. Again, this strongly suggests that
guidance was already in hand when the coup attempt happened.
On August 21, two days into the coup, the director of the CCP propaganda
department, Wang Renzhi, convened a meeting of press officials to convey
further instructions about coverage of the Soviet coup. Coverage should be
inclined toward support, Wang said, but “do not be visibly pleased. Do not
let others know your joy.” The guiding principle should be, Wang said, “in-
ternal joy, but external worry.” The current situation in the Soviet Union was
favorable to China, and it was necessary to generate propaganda to stabilize
the overall situation.^44
When news of the Soviet coup arrived in Beijing on August 19, top CCP lead-
ers had gathered at Deng Xiaoping’s residence to celebrate his eighty-seventh
birthday. On hearing the news of Gorbachev’s overthrow, one elder, Bo Yibo,
cursed the Soviet leader. Deng opined: “When Gorbachev was ousted, the
Soviet Union declared to the world that Gorbachev alone cannot change the
situation of a country ruled by the Communist Party for more than seventy
yea rs.”^45 Later the same day, the Politburo met to discuss the Soviet situa-
tion. Defense Minister Chi Haotian reportedly advocated open declaration
of support for the coup. Deng vetoed this, saying that while the Soviet coup
was “a good thing,” “we must not be visibly pleased but only delighted at the
bottom of our hearts.”^46 Publicly, China would stand by the principle that the
affairs of a country are the concern of the people of that country, while also
pointing out that China did not wish to see the situation in the Soviet Union
deteriorate.^47 China should wait for the situation in the Soviet Union to sta-
bilize, Deng insisted, before it openly supported the new leaders in Moscow.
At a Politburo meeting the next day, Deng went a bit further: China should
not enter into alignments or unite with the Soviet Union to resist the United
States. This prudence served the CCP well when the coup collapsed.
The Politburo issued directives to unify thinking in the party on the Soviet
hard-liners’ coup. There were several points. Gorbachev’s downfall was a
good thing that would help the development of the international communist
movement. The Soviet State Emergency Committee (the organ set up by the
coup) should be recognized, because it was made up of genuine Marxists.
Externally, however, party members were not to air their views or conduct pri-
vate discussions on Soviet developments without authorization. Sino-Soviet
relations would be strengthened because of the Soviet Union’s return to the
socialist camp. Party-to-party ties would not warm up immediately, because
China had to consider its international image. The downfall of Gorbachev