Why Chinese communist party-led governance in China is stable and sustainable - Essay Example

?Why Chinese communist party-led governance in China is stable and sustainable. Introduction Chinese Communist Party formed the strategy to achieve apeaceful rise after the entry of China’s economy into rapid growth period. An important role in this was played by the introduction of the Open Door Policy and the Reform in China. Times changed for better during the second half of the 20th century as the world moved from war toward peace. This very important change had a far-reaching impact on all of the world in general and on the developing countries in particular. In the present age, when development and cooperation is sought by most countries, the peaceful rise strategy of China has become consistent with the global trend. Sun Yat-sen expresses this notion in these words, “World progress is like a tidal wave. Those who ride it will prosper, and those who sail against it will perish” (Yat-sen cited in Jianmin). Chinese communist party-led governance in China is stable and sustainable because of its prudent strategies and foresightedness. Political Trends Mao’s Cultural Revolution caused the state economy to collapse. China was left in a profound identity crisis and required radical restructuring of its national character. Deng Xiaoping’s first challenge after his resumption of power in 1976 was to address this exigency with acceptable values and norms (Lu and Simons). Since 1978, the ruling Communist Party in China has directed the country’s foreign policy at development of strategic partnership with China’s old Western enemies and moved China’s economy toward capitalism. To implement these changes, leaders of the Communist Party have rhetorically reconciled the reforms and sustained reverence for their predecessors, the Marxist and Maoist orthodoxies, and the Chinese traditions. Economic Trends Mao’s Great Leap Forward campaign directed at increasing China’s agricultural productivity failed after receiving initial success in 1958. A drastic downfall occurred in the industrial and agricultural production between 1959 and 1962. This failure can be attributed to a host of factors including droughts, bad floods, swift cutoff of the Soviet aid, abrupt departure of the Soviet technicians, and most importantly, incongruence between the ideological strategies and fervor that worked during the yenan years, the prevailing condition of peasantry, and demands of the developing economy in China (Pradnyawati 33). “In the post­Mao Zedong era, the party ideology has successfully shifted from that of class struggle to one of economic development” (Zheng 13). In contrast to Mao, Xiaoping’s pragmatic leadership placed emphasis on economic development of China and relinquished mass political movements. The leadership adopted policies of economic reform at the Third Plenum in December 1978 in order to expand rural incentives and income, boost experimentation in enterprise autonomy, attract foreign direct investment, and reduce central planning. The plenum resolved to accelerate the process of legal reform. After resurgence of the conservatives resulting from military intervention in Beijing on 4 June 1989, the process of economic reform slowed down. It was Xiaoping’s visit to China that gave economic reform a new impetus in early 1992. At the 14th Party Congress, Xiaoping’s renewed efforts to make Chinese economy market-oriented got official sanction. Many pro-reform young leaders were rising to top positions at that time. Xiaoping made management of economy in a way that prioritized improvement of living standards in China his primary policy objective even if that required adoption of capitalist measures. Xiaoping’s economic openness policies were publicly endorsed by the Communist Party Politburo. Ever since, China has placed emphasis on economic openness. This has played a great role in China becoming the second largest economy in the contemporary world. State and society The Chinese leadership proceeded toward increasingly pragmatic positions in a variety of fields after 1979. The party encouraged writers, journalists, and artists to become more critical in their analytical work and expression, though it did not allow them open attacks over the party authority. The Cutural Revolution of Mao was proclaimed as a catastrophe in late 1980. Zhao Ziyang, chief of the reformist Sichuan party replaced Mao’s protege Hua Guofeng as premier in 1980. Hu Yaobang, an even more reformist chairman of the Communist Youth League replaced Hua Guofeng as the General Secretary of the party in 1981. Reform policies introduced by the communist Chinese leadership brought radical improvement in the citizens’ standard of living. Circumstances became particularly favorable for the farmers and urban workers who availed the opportunities to establish village industries and diversify crops. Chinese art and literature grew and spread as Chinese intellectuals developed links with foreign scholars. Military trends and issues In order to control the political mayhem caused by the slow reform process in China between 1986 and 1989, martial law was imposed in China on 20 May 1989. Military units intervened in Beijing on 4 June 1989 to clear the streets from the demonstrators. Although no official estimates were made for the number of casualties in this operation and this was described as a peaceful operation, yet it is believed that some casualties were caused as a result of this military intervention. After the expression of discontent and horror by the foreign governments at the demonstrators’ brutal suppression in China with this military intervention, the central government eliminated the organized opposition’s sources, hindered the protestors, and took measures for political reeducation of students as well as of government officials and party cadre. It is believed by many expert analysts that military intervention of 1989 provided the Chinese Communist Party with the opportunity to achieve a constructive catharsis as it had been in official control of China for four decades till then (“The Chinese Communist”). The Chinese Communist Party elites are technocrats that analyzed the portents for their demise and tried to learn some lessons from the increasing political mayhem in the country. “Far from opening up a closed society, the Party managed to vent some accumulated tension and set upon a course that has lasted them another 18 years and looks likely to continue” (“The Chinese Communist”). Miscellaneous challenges and the party’s response The Communist Party had to face various challenges in the last decades of the 20th century and sustenance was not easy. While the standard of living greatly improved with the reform policies, political dissent and different sorts of social problems including urban migration, prostitution, and inflation surfaced simultaneously. Party elders started to question the reform program’s pace as well as the ultimate goals. Political atmosphere loosened and student demonstrators staged protests against the slow reform process. Students and party elders shared the notion that slow reform process would cause social instability. Zhao’s proposal of acceleration of price reform in May 1988 caused widespread complaints to emerge regarding the rampant inflation precipitating a political debate from 1988 to 1989. Yaobang’s death and growing economic hardship together paved way for a large-scale protest movement led by intellectuals and students as a result of which on 20 May 1989, martial law was imposed. Besides this domestic instability, Chinese Communist Party promotes a single-party state with nontransparent decision-making and nonexistence of civil society watchdog. Corruption in such a state is rampant. Party members rise to power using connections and links. Inability of the central government to keep a check on everything increases the vulnerability of local officials to corruption by the local interests. There is little recourse for the opponents of the Chinese Communist Party because of the access of Party control to press as well as courts. Chinese Communist Party dealt with these problems with strategic planning and prudent politics. It addressed people’s lack of confidence in the government by improving and realigning the recruitment and indoctrination practices of the party. The party made it difficult for the protests to propagate by placing controls through the Internet and press and over the cell phones. Chinese Communist Party passed certain new laws to expand the definition of a “State Secret” and certain changes in the possible ways in which violators could be dealt with. The party also took measures to address the issues of corruption that provided the stage for the protests. “Party elites determined to crack down publicly on corrupt local Party officials and to improve intra-party discipline through greater use of the Central Inspection Commission that was given new mandates to punish and expel dishonest officials” (“The Chinese Communist”). Conclusion In spite of all the aforementioned challenges, Chinese Communist Party has played a great role in taking China to the apogee of success that it enjoys today. Chinese government has gone through such wrong policies as the Great Leap Forward to correct policies like Deng Xiaoping’s reform. Roughly since the time of Xiaoping’s ascension to power in China, the country has kept progressing toward capitalism and development of strategic partnership with the West. The Communist Party has promoted a more pragmatic thinking in the post-Mao period of political and economic reform. This transition has played a great role in China become the second largest economy in the world today. Analysis of the political, economic, state and society, and military trends of the last few decades of the 20th century, and political mayhem and the Chinese Communist Party’s strategic response to it explains how Chinese communist party-led governance uses strategic planning and foresightedness to maintain its stability and sustainability in China. Works Cited: Jianmin, Wu. “Why China will rise peacefully under Communist Party leadership?” People Daily. 4 July 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. . Lu, Xing, and Simons, Herbert W. “Transitional Rhetoric of Chinese Communist Party Leaders in the Post-Mao Reform Period: Dilemmas and Strategies.” Quarterly Journal of Speech. 92.3 (2006): 262-286. Pradnyawati. B. A. “China's Post-Mao Reforms and the Prospects for Democratization.” McMaster University. June 1996. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. . “The Chinese Communist Party (The CCP).” Modern China: the Promise and Challenge of an Emerging Superpower. 2008. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. . Zheng, Yongnian. “Is Communist Party Rule Sustainable in China?” The University of Nottingham. July 2007. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. . Read More