Cardinal Joseph Zen of China has issued another strong critique of the rumoured Vatican-China deal on the appointment of bishops, calling it an act of 'surrender' to the communist government.

However, Cardinal Zen did not blame Pope Francis who he said 'is optimistic and full of love, and is eager to visit China'.

Instead, in his blog post reported by the Catholic News Agency (CNA), he faulted the pope's advisers for what he said is a 'bad deal' which 'compromises without limits' yet gains little in return.

Zen said that Pope Francis 'has never had direct knowledge of the Chinese Communist Party and, moreover, is poorly informed by the people around him'.

The cardinal specifically pointed to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who he said was in the 'diplomatic school' of his predecessor Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, who served in the same role from 1979-1990. Zen said Casaroli was 'obsessed' with the politics of compromise with the East.

Zen accused the papal advisers of 'Ostpolitik,' which was the name given to the political process of pursuing the normalisation of relations between the split governments of East and West Germany.

CNA pointed out that since then, the term Ostpolitik has also been used to describe the efforts made by Pope Paul VI to engage with Eastern European countries run by communist regimes.

Zen said that those who back the proposed Vatican-China deal want 'compromise without limits, they are already willing to completely surrender'.

Zen said that it is clear that the pope himself 'didn't know the details' of the planned deal.

'We all know that the indications of the Roman Curia are necessarily approved by the pope,' Zen said. 'If he signs any deal they want, we can only accept it, without protest. But before the eventual signing, it is our right to make the truth about things known, because this can change the direction and avoid serious dangers for the Church.'

Cardinal Zen's latest critique, which was published in Chinese on his blog on February 24, was subsequently translated and published in Italian on the blog of a veteran Vatican analyst, Sandro Magister, CNA reported.

There is speculation that the deal could come as early as this month. If it is reached, the Vatican is expected officially to recognise seven bishops who are out of communion with Rome, including two or three whose excommunications have been explicitly declared by the Vatican.

The new deal would also reportedly outline government and Vatican roles in future episcopal selection. The agreement could be similar to the Vatican's agreement with Vietnam, in which the Holy See would propose three names, and the Chinese government would choose the one to be appointed bishop.

Cardinal Zen lamented the fact that as one of two Chinese cardinals, he has not been made aware of the contents of the agreement. 'Certainly they can't make public all the contents of the negotiation,' he said, but as one of the two cardinals for China, he asked, 'would I not have the right to know the contents?'