The Chinese and the US Political Regimes - Essay Example

Introduction The Chinese and the US political regimes are totally different in terms of governance. Whereas the US is a highly democratic nation, whereby the government is subject to criticism by individuals and organizations, the democratic space in China is limited to the extent that citizens are prohibited from criticizing the government and its policies. This makes it easy for the Chinese government and leadership to exercise a totalitarian rule, which is a major impediment towards the advancement of human rights in the country. This is ironic considering the fact that the Chinese constitution advocates for democracy (Rai, 2009). This paper is a critical evaluation of the differences between the US and Chinese political regimes. US vs. China’s Political Regimes The US is a country founded on the principle of democracy and the protection of human rights and freedoms, as envisaged in the US declaration of independence and the universal declaration of human rights (Syl, 2008). These rights and freedoms include, for example, the right to life, freedom of expression, freedom of movement, the right to a fair trial, freedom of religion, which rights and freedoms facilitate citizens with a sense of belonging and protection, especially from the government. These rights and freedoms cannot be achieved without the government setting up tools and avenues to ensure that there is accountability and effective communication between it and the people (Syl, 2008). The US government understands this and as a result, it has continued to support a decentralized form of government, which is bent towards bringing services and justice closer to the people. For example, every state has its own legislature, executive and judiciary, which runs parallel to those of the federal government (Sobel, 2000). In this context, states can make new laws or abolish old ones, as long as they do not conflict with the US constitution, in order to suit the demands of the local people. In such an environment, it is significantly easier for the people to take control of their day to day lives. The country also exercises multiparty politics, whereby more than one party is allowed to compete for elected posts such as the presidency and the congress. Multiparty elections are healthy for any given society as they facilitate the electorate with a chance to evaluate different candidates and their capabilities, after which the most popular and viable one is voted in. It is therefore possible to find that the president is a democrat but the congress is a mixture of republicans and democrats. In such a society, it is highly difficult for politicians to make unilateral decisions that are unpopular based on the fact that different parties will always have different opinions on national issues and which must be taken into account before a decision can be reached. The US president may be the most powerful man on earth, US being the most powerful country on earth, but he cannot dictate on how the government should run its affairs. He must convince the public, through their senate and county representatives, to vote for and support government policies before they can be adopted (Sobel, 2000). Freedom of speech and expression is highly important as it facilitates dissemination of information through the press and other channels such as the internet. It also provides citizens with an avenue to air their grievances thus ensuring that they are treated fairly in their areas of work and that they get quality services from government and private institutions, which potentially have the unwanted capacity to promote social and economic inequalities. The US government does not interfere with freedom of speech and this has made it possible for the media to broadcast information both in favor and out of favor with the government (Syl, 2008). This enables citizens to understand the government and to know when the leadership is engaging in wrongful acts such as corruption and misappropriation of public resources. If the government embarks on a mission to monopolize the media, chances are that there would be withholding of information perceived by the politicians as being capable of causing unrest even when doing so would only be a measure to protect their personal interests and conceal shortcomings. The US is a capitalist nation, in which individual efforts are rewarded. Capitalist economies promote competitiveness so that it is highly possible to start up a new company and be able to utilize the environment to attract consumers without necessarily having to deal with interferences from the government, as long as the business is legal. This may be enhanced by the rich cultural diversity present in the country and the government’s positive attitude towards immigration (Lattimer, 2009). It is due to this reason that one may find businesses operated by immigrants, some of whom even occupy and name business areas with names reflecting their places of origin. These are for example China towns, which are highly populated with people of Chinese origin. China on the other hand is a country characterized by leaders, who do not embrace democracy as a key to success. The country may be among the world’s developed nations in terms of technology and economy but it is also one of the highly undemocratic nations in the contemporary society. The People’s Republic of China is a communist state in which all powers are vested in the central government, which is synonymous with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Multiparty politics are not allowed in the country notwithstanding the fact that no person or institution can stand up and criticize the actions of the ruling party, without risking being arrested and imprisoned. This system of governance has promoted dictatorial leadership whereby the government’s word is final and therefore cannot be questioned or overturned by any institution in the country (Shambaugh, 2010). One of the problems being experienced in China as a result of dictatorship is the infringement of the freedom of speech and association. For example, workers are not allowed to form unions or to engage in industrial action at free will as this is perceived as a way of questioning the authority of the ruling party. There is only one union, All-China Federation of Trade Unions, which is allowed to operate in the country but it is highly and closely monitored by the government and therefore, members cannot claim to have autonomous authority, which is necessary while negotiating with the government and employers. The government has also continued to deny citizens their right to information as freedom of press is highly compromised (Rosen, 2010). The government knows that the media is a strong tool of communication and it has the capacity to incite the public and possibly trigger a revolution. It is for this reason that companies such as Google China have had a rough time operating in the country due to censorship laws, which inhibit free flow of information (Rosen, 2010). Google is a company that deals primarily with dissemination of literature concerning every aspect of human lives and which is accessible to all and sundry. Information is power and therefore censoring such a search engine is one of the best ways through which the Chinese government can keep its citizens in the dark and misinformed. China has also continued to enjoy the fruits of convict labor, which is cheap, thereby positioning the country at a higher advantage than its competitors. Child labor, in addition to unfair labor and trade practices, which discriminate against women and minority groups, is also common and this makes it difficult for a person with morals to invest in the country owing to the fact that he or she would be compelled to assimilate with the local culture of impunity, which is highly supported by the government (Shambaugh, 2010). The right thing to do is for the world to compel China to adopt a system of governance, which is friendlier to the people, probably through economic sanctions. If I were to invest, I would definitely prefer the US over China, first due to the fact that the country has experienced political stability for a long time, more than 100 years, compared to China’s 63 years. This makes it certain that there is no possibility of a pending revolution, which may disrupt economic growth and peace, which are important factors to consider while deciding on a potential business location. China on the other hand does not have a predictable future especially if the revolutions happening around the world are anything to go by. Dictatorship has no place in the contemporary world and there seems to be a grand awakening whereby even the Chinese themselves are beginning to object to oppression orchestrated by their government. They are using the internet and social media sites to dissent to CCP’s high handedness and though the government has positioned spies to monitor internet traffic, it is only a matter of time before the situation explodes into a violent revolution (Selden, 2011). When that happens, I would not want to be caught in the middle in addition to the fact that it would be difficult to protect my business interests in such a hostile environment. The US has a high population, approximately 300 million people, and this creates sufficient market for products, whether imported or locally manufactured. In addition, the country has entered into free trade agreements with more than 17 foreign countries and this is an added advantage as investing in the country would link the business to these markets. The US does not discriminate against foreign investors and corruption is a vice, which the government does not tolerate, and therefore the environment is fit for conducting business (Eckes, 2007). This is unlike China where some of the foreign investors are forced to find local business partners so as to expedite the process of establishing a business. Americans are highly comfortable and receptive towards technological advancements and since my business idea revolves around software development, I would find it more viable to invest here rather than China, as indeed is the feeling of many (Venkatesh & Zhang, 2010). Software development involves creating new products and this requires the protection of the government through patent and copyright laws. Whereas China has been noted as being reluctant to protect innovators by allowing piracy and copying of ideas, the US has laws that prevent such criminal offenses and which are highly implemented. This makes the country a rich destination for people with new ideas and probably it is the reason why it has remained one of the most innovative countries in the world (Eckes, 2007). Conclusion The US is a democratic country, which is founded on the principle of federalism. The country’s constitution recognizes the different states that make up the US as semi autonomous entities, which cannot be abolished by the federal government. Political leaders, including the president, are elected by the people and their actions are subject to public scrutiny. China on the other hand is a communist nation, which has a centralized government characterized by a one party system. The only party present in the country is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, China has been noted as being anti-reformist especially due to its continued infringement on human rights whereby citizens are arrested and detained arbitrarily for unjustifiable reasons such as dissidence. The US is a favorable country to invest in owing to its long history of peace, stability and legal frameworks that promote transparency and predictability. Bibliography Eckes, A. 2007. Opening Americas Market: U.S. Foreign Trade Policy since 1776. University of North Carolina Press Lattimer, R. 2009. ‘Barack Obama: Race, Diversity, and Americas Global Competitiveness’. Competition Forum. 7 (2): 279-289 Rai, S. 2009. Chinese Politics and Society: An Introduction. Prentice Hall PTR Rosen, S. 2010. Chinese Politics: State, Society and the Market. Routledge Selden, M. 2011. Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance. Routledge Shambaugh, D. 2010. The Modern Chinese State. Cambridge University Press Sobel, S. 2000. How the U.S. Government Works. Barrons Educational Series Syl. D. 2008. The Bill of Rights: Protecting Our Freedom Then and Now. Barrons Educational Series Venkatesh, V., and Zhang, X. 2010. ‘Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology: U.S. vs. China’. Journal of Global Information Technology Management. 13 (1): 5-27 Read More