September 16, 2004

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Trotting out the old "Western" democracy doesn't work in Asia line, CCP chief Hu Jintao addressed the nation last night. Instead of political competition, the monopoly on power by the CCP will fight abuse and corruption by doing a better job of policing itself.

"History indicates that indiscriminately copying Western political systems is a blind for China."...Strengthening the party's ability to govern is the nominal focus of its annual leadership meeting in Beijing...

But the weeks before the gathering of the Central Committee have been consumed mainly with infighting over the fate of Jiang Zemin, China's military chief and Hu's predecessor...Jiang told a recent high-level party meeting that he is prepared to retire...but they said it was unclear whether he intends to do so now.

The senior levels of the CCP are so busy with the Jiang/Hu battle that serious issues such as the economy, gaining control over the provincial governments, Taiwan and corruption are not being addressed. This meeting will pay only lip service to really fighting the main threat to the CCP's hold on power - the disaffection of the population with "power abuse and corruption" by cadres.

I am not a history professor, but Hu's statement that China's experiment with Western political systems have been a failure is surely a contestable statement. The only time China tried to apply any sembelence of Western systems was during the rule of the Nationalists and even then they hardly had what could be recogonised as functioning political system. The subtly of Hu's statement is in that common trait of linking democracy with that traditional bogeyman, "the West". Democracy is not a Western ideal or concept. It is the political system largely practicised by Western countries, which not co-incidently have become the world's strongest economies with the highest living standards. In truth Maoism and Communism have proved to be China's blind alleys. China's political system can be called whatever you like but in reality it exists as a monolithic one-party state, where the lines between party and state massively blurred.

China has benefited massively from the opening up of its economy to the world, to competition and to market forces. It can do the same if it opens up its political system too.

posted by Simon on 09.16.04 at 11:38 AM in the




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