A SENIOR general has called for a major shake-up of Chinese politics, including allowing open debate and ushering in a form of democracy within one-party rule.

Chinese leaders since 1989 have successfully presented a disciplined and united public face, in the knowledge that airing their differences could be collectively fatal.

Soldiers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Airborne Corps march in formation during a training session at the 60th National Day Parade Village in the outskirts of Beijing, September 15, 2009. China will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding on October 1 this year. Picture taken September 15, 2009. Credit:REUTERS

General Liu Yuan, Political Commissar of the General Logistics Department and the son of a one-time successor to Chairman Mao, Liu Shaoqi, jokingly acknowledged that his essay breaks all the rules.

''It's like playing broadswords in front of Guan Gong,'' he writes, referring to a Han dynasty warrior-hero. ''Death is certain, it's like self-mutilation, and even deserved.''