The Chinese government has been warned by a scholar who advises leaders on dealing with social unrest its hard-line policies are creating dissent.

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that a speech delivered Dec. 26 by Yu Jianrong, a senior member of the Institute of Rural Affairs of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, recently appeared on Web sites in China. He was pointedly critical of policies embraced by President Hu Jintao.

In his speech, Yu said mass demonstrations and other signs of unrest have become more common. He blamed them on "state violence" and "ideology."

Yu said,'' More and more evidence shows that the situation is getting more and more tense, more and more serious.''

Feng Chongyi of the University of Technology in Sydney said he believes Yu is an "independent scholar."

Feng said, referring to the President and to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao,'' This speech is very significant because it is the first time Yu has directly confronted the Hu-Wen leadership and said their policies have failed and will not work." (With Input From Agencies)