Modern China is drawing the attention of the entire world because of the size of the Chinese nation with over 1.3 billion people and territory of over 9.5 million sq. km., economic potential, phenomenon of the Chinese civilisation of more than 5 thousand years and also huge pace of the economic development taking place for 30 years. People's Republic of China raises interest also because of its socialist system where the leading ideological and political power is held for 60 years by the Communist Party of China.
China enjoys significant interest also because of the character and scope of the socialist modernisation and socio-economic reforms initiated 30 years ago by the CPC under Deng Xiaoping's leadership. China has decided to open to the outside world and especially flow of huge foreign capital by creating favourable conditions for its development in special zones but under control of the socialist state and legal system. Course of modernization was also expressed in creating mechanisms enabling activization of the domestic capital. It was connected with wider demand by the CPC, that China should be based on their own strength and stand firm on its legs. Possibilities for restoration of the private enterprises were opened what contributed to increase of production and enrichment of the market.
Also at the countryside since 1979 elements of management of the people's communes that allowed quicker development of the agriculture were being introduced. In 1984 people's communes were disbanded and domestic contracts system based on purchasing in conditions of work brigades on land leased by farmers from the state was introduced. At the same time creation of landed farms was allowed and small market economy preferred by strengthening its work efficiency and supporting various forms of social ownership in supply and market. Simultaneously the state has reserved monopoly on owning land leased to the farmers for 30 years period.
Modernization and market reforms of the Chinese economy has contributed to release of many production reserves, especially it has initiated use of huge resources of the workforce. Foreign companies achieved huge incomes and possibility of entering huge Chinese market has attracted the world's biggest industrial, trade and services corporations. This process lasts until now. It is estimated that foreign direct investment reached the level of $1.8 billion USD. It has contributed not only to significant change in the Chinese economic structure and saturated it with modem technology but also created dozens of millions of new jobs. New branches of industry were created and not only industry but also other branches of the economy such as management, financial and banking system, administrative system and others were modernized. Opening to the outside world and role of the foreign capital are enormous but one cannot forget that it makes only 6-10% of the investments in China and that determines character of the socialist modernization of the state.
The essence of modernization and reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping and continued by his successors, was new attitude towards the market. Chinese leader has stated (contrary to his predecessor – Mao Tse Tung) that market does not have to be the alien and hostile category and mechanism for the socialist economy but it can bring huge increase of production and contribute to dynamism and modernization in the socialist economy. This modernization had significant effects not only for practical activities but also influenced theoretical discussion on base thesis of the Marxist political economy and theory of scientific socialism. New categories such as socialist market and socialist market economy (that since 1992 is a constitutional principle of the PRC) were created.
Modernization and Deng Xiaoping's reforms were based on the assumption that Mao Tse Tung's (who had huge deserts in conducting socialist revolution in China and creating base of the socialism but also wasn't free from numerous mistakes) dogmatism must be given up. Mao Tse Tung implemented equalizing principles of socialism in conditions of historical economic backwardness of China – with quite high pace of development but from the very low initial level, when even extreme poverty was common and its sign – "the iron rice bowl". Poverty and want – said Deng Xiaoping -even shared justly cannot be ideals of socialism or communism same as “barracks socialism” promoted by Maoists also on the international level. CPC considered that China is still in the initial stage of the socialism when small economy dominates the countryside and plays significant part in the cities and that it needs to be steered towards fast development under state and legal control and socialist state economy. It has also considered that this aim can be achieved through wide international cooperation with foreign capital and trade relations. In this issue Chinese leadership has used earlier soviet experience from the 1920s when V.I. Lenin proposed, after huge destruction during the civil war, new course for the Soviet state – New Economic Policy (NEP), that has put an end to chaos after the revolution, rebuilding of the economy, revival of the international trade and what's the most important prepared the state for realization of new tasks during later period.
Comparison with NEP in the USSR is only partly justified because the USSR as a result of aggravating internal (fighting kulaks) and international contradictions (growth of fascism) its course was reduced and later stopped in late 1920s. Contrary to it Chinese NEP lasts for over 30 years and takes place on gigantic unprecedented scale using also favourable international situation.
According to Chinese analysts nowadays and in predictable perspective China and world are not being threatened by any greater military threat. It enables to start huge plans and tasks that are realized with huge success before assumed terms. Until 1990 China has doubled its national income. Another doubling took place until 2000. Plans for 2010 predict another one and until 2020 rising it four times compared to year 2000. As it was mentioned these plans are fulfilled before term. Chinese analysts predict that in 2010 Chinese GDP will already grow not to $2,000 but $3,000 USD per capita and prognosis saying that until 2020 it will reach $6,000 USD is a realistic one.
Socialist modernization and reforms has caused huge economic growth and also realization of big social plans for the PRC's citizens resulting from Marxist axiology and are defined by social development programmes of the CPC and PRC.
At the same time it has aggravated old and caused new social contradictions, that in opinion of Chinese communists however do not undermine socialism in China. Main contradictions in China are not the class related ones. They can aggravate only temporarily. The main contradictions are related to growing needs of the Chinese society and abilities to satisfy them by still backward production base. That is why Chinese leadership prefers every initiative that contributes to rising level of the economy and strengthening its producing power.
Socialist modernzation and market economy are implemented according to certain rules:
These rules are also base of the contemporary programme of building socialism in China what was confirmed by the statements and development programme accepted by the 17th Congress of the CPC in October 2007. During that Congress Hu Jintao was reelected General Secretary of the CPC. During session of the All China Assembly (Congress) of the People's Representatives in March 2008 Hu Jintao was also reelected President of the PRC and Chairman of the Central Military Committee. Prime Minister (Chief of the State Council) Wen Jiabao and Chairman (Speaker) of the Permanent Committee of the People's Representatives Assembly also entered the highest leading group.
China's course of socialist modernization is realized not without internal and international antagonistic and non-antagonistic contradictions. These issues are being considered on internal and international background. Nowadays world is the course of fast globalization that gained pace after the fall of ,,real socialism" in former USSR and Middle-Eastern Europe. One of the subsections analyses causes of the USSR's and CPSU's fall and how representatives of the Chinese political science perceive it. In first subsection views by the Chinese scientists on globalization and contradictions in modern world are mentioned. United States are at the front of this globalization. They want to make it a form of economic, financial, cultural and firstly political-military domination. At the beginning of the 1990s the United States proclaimed to be a "world's gendarme", announcing “new world order” that strengthens values and aims of the global US hegemony.
Such policy has met resistance from the progressive and free nations of the world, preferring multi-polarism and free cooperation favourable for everyone. US is meeting huge resistance in realizing its aims. United States was discredited politically and militarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. They tend to give NATO global character however new powers such as the EU (with Germany on the lead) and even Latin America and of course PRC (conducting independent international policy and are increasingly significant player in international relations) are escaping the US grasp.
Significant part of the internal contradictions is devoted to analyse of the China's domestic relations, the key reforms and socialist modernization, state and development of Marxism in China and its adaptation to civillzational and cultural conditions in China. The important substance of the part is an analyze of the class contradictions in China, threat of corruption and changes in structure of the ownership. Other issues mentioned are role and place of China in globalization and regionalization processes, influence of the October revolution on China and seeking its own way of development by the CPC. In final part of the chapter point of view of the prime minister of the PRC on strategy and tactics of building socialism and use of scientific socialism with its attitude to "democratic socialism" is presented, also the role of state capitalism in the initial stage of the socialism.
The other part of theses is devoted to presentation and analyze of the PRC's political system, its main principles and mechanisms, leading role of the CPC, rules of CPC's cooperation with other political parties, political consultations and democratic dictatorship of the people. In next parts guidelines and changes of the PRC's political system in years 1949-1953 (General Program of the Consulting Conference of China), Chinese constitution from 20 IX 1954, constitution of 17.11975 and 4.12.1982 is presented.
It also mentions five amendments to constitution from years 1988-2007. Each of these subsections is connected with short introduction explaining causes and essence of changes. In analyze of this chapter mainly normative-constitutional analyze was used and much attention was given to analyzing People's Congresses elections especially the All China Assembly (Congress) of the People's Representatives, place and role of the national minorities in the PRC.
The next part of main theses is devoted to the analysis of international relations on the China and about Chinas influences on the contemporary world. It presents main assumptions behind the economic reforms and socialist modernization on various stages of China's development. These issues are presented with context of international relations and above all ideological and political discussions in the international communist movement. The main problem is an analysis of causes of the political and ideological split between CPC and CPSU that later became hostility that influenced also the international relations between the PRC and the USSR and even led to border incidents in late 1960s. This split had its source in revisionism and hegemonism of N. Khrushchev and other leaders of the USSR but also dogmatism of Mao Tse Tung that led to dissolution of the socialist states community and deep splits in the international communist movement. It has contributed to final fall of the CPSU and the USSR and socialist European states in 1989-1991.
At the same time in China after Mao Tse Tung's death in 1976 new leadership of the CPC with Deng Xiaoping at its head contributed to renovation of the CPC and PRC based on principles of opening, socialist zis mentioned in following parts of this work. They analyze main CPC's programme, political, system, ideological and economical principles that were formed by Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao and other theoreticians and politicians until nowadays – that means until XVII Congress of the CPC in October 2007 and until critical evaluation of the economic and social situation that was made by the All China Assembly (Congress) of the People's Representatives in March 2008.
China's development until 2020 and 2050 and perspectives of socialism's development not only in China but on the entire world are presented. It is also a contribution to the discussion on some theoretical Marxist thesis such as periodical character of building socialism, perspectives of the socialist state, possibilities of restoring socialism, its revival and development as a result of huge development of the PRC.
The experience of building of socialism with the Chinese characteristics and the theoretical development of Marxism – Leninism by the Chinese Marxists and communists needs deeper studies in the communist movement and in the Marxist centers of the world. It must too also overcome "Eurocentrism" to practice Marxism. Because the modern world changes in the direction to China, India, Asia, Pacific – areas and so-called Third World. The socialist proletarian revolution is possible in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin and once more in Moscow and Warsaw, but the great spark ("new spark") will come from Beijing, Shanghai, Calcutta, Africa, Latin America. This direction and main contradictions are the base of modern and contemporary (continued of formers) dialectics of revolutionary working and communist movement in the world of the XXI century.
COMMENT:
The above feature article is by Professor Zbigniew Wiktor who wrote many articles plus a book on China which is just published in Poland. He has studied and researched the present Chinese economic growth and development from his Marxist perspective and feels that the future model of Socialism is the Chinese model.
As a member of the Editorial Board of NSC I would like to differ on some points. One point comes to mind now. On November 21st in some Canadian media there was a report that stated the following – whether it’s true is to be proven, but as the old saying goes: "Where there's smoke, there's fire!"
"Chinese carmakers SAIC and DONFENG have plans to buy out General Motors and Chrysler now that these carmakers are supposedly bankrupt and begging for $$$$ bail out. This was reported by China's own "21st Century Business Herald", a business paper in China, which boasts of over three million daily readers.
A takeover of overseas auto makers would fit perfectly into China's plans and could export Made in China Cars that are now the mainstay of employment for a large section of US and Canadian workforce.
Is this Marxism? Is this the road towards Communism?
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