Comments on: Reflections on China

By: Kien

Kien — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:40:03 +0000

Isn’t it possible to see the Chinese Communist Party evolving to a nominal political party with absolute but nominal powers, just like the British monarchy? In Australian (and presumably British) constitutional law, the Queen posses full executive power, has the power to dissolve Parliament and full discretion to make judicial appointments. The way these powers are exercised are limited by pure covention. There is nothing to prevent the Queen from dismissing the Cabinet at any time or to dissolve Parliament.

Already, there are conventions developing around the transition of executive power in China. If anyone can become a member of China’s communist party and seek election to party positions, the next key step is for rival factions within the Communist party to become more visible, with further conventions developing around internal factional rules and intranet-factional conventions that result in factions taking turns to lead the Communist Party. Such a system would not be much different from democracy in the United States where the Republican and Democratic parties (factions?) have a de facto monopoly on political power in the United States. Both parties are very much to the right of politics (at least from the perspective of an European electorate). A socialist might well complain that there is no real democracy in the United States.

It seems to me there is no need to get hung up about the Chinese Communist Party remaining a permanent institution within China’s political system. The important issue is whether the Chinese political system is responsive to the aspirations and needs of the Chinese people (including minorities). It is arguable that China’s political system, acknowleding its imperfections, has been more attentive to the welfare of the people in China than India’s political system. China has much higher literacy level than India and China’s government has done more to tackle poverty than India’s.

Given China’s history where a successful dynasty (such as the Tang or Ming) lasts a few centuries, it is likely that the “communist dynasty” will last at least a few centuries and may well turn out to be the longest lasting dynasty in Chinese history if it manages to evolve into a nominal political institution like the British monarchy. The communist party can then play a valuable symbolic role in times of national crisis like earthquakes and other natural disasters. It can draw on its legends (such as the Long March) to inspire the young.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:38:14 +0000

Congratulations! You’ve done it! If your blog wasn’t blocked, it will be after this post

By: Omair

Omair — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:09:24 +0000

Very interesting to hear the opinions of local elite professors. A question: Do you contact people with whom you already have some connection (mutual friend, read their paper, etc.), or do you just go on their website and try to find those most similar to you, such as a fellow junior professor of conflict/development?

Also, why don’t you eat pork?

By: Christina Chu

Christina Chu — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:37:18 +0000

From the point of China’s history, it makes sense to maintain the status quo in order to grow or keep the strength of the current “empire or dynasty”. One only needs to look at Chinese history to understand why they would not push for democracy right now. Keep in mind that while China has a great amount of diversity and is a large country like Brazil, Indonesia, it is probably the only place where you have a written history that goes back 5000 with multiple rise and falls of great dynastic rules and wars which the is deeply ingrained into the culture of the people. Few countries have this to look back on as a point of reference.

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:35:18 +0000

yep, the thought control in china is rather impressive…

My favorite question is to ask whether Vietnam invaded China, or China invaded Vietnam… then follow it up with questions about whether Chinese soldiers were tortured by the Vietnamese, and whether chinese would ever torture. The answers (of course): Vietname invaded China, tortured chinese soldiers, and chinese would never invade another country nor torture (ever).

on the one hand, it is impressive, on the other, editorials in the People’s Daily are more intelligent than what one would find in the Wall Street Journal…

more at http://firelarrysummersnow.blogspot.com/ …

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:14:45 +0000

For a great read on why democracy/human rights are often narrated so differently across the Pacific, see Richard Madsen’s China and the American Dream: A Moral Inquiry. I think propaganda is a factor, though not the sole or even dominant one. If only I had the patience to become a historian…

By: Texas in Africa

Texas in Africa — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:53:17 +0000

I hope you brought back a Mao clock for all of us.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:44:22 +0000

Blogger has been blocked for a while, but FB just since what happened in the nw this summer. It might be an interesting study to look into how many people are getting around the blocks however, as I had a number of Chinese friends connect me w/different kinds of proxy servers for access. If my Chinese were a billion times better I would love to get into the Chinese blog world, one of the few places it seems active criticism of the government is alive and well and, actually, somewhat effective (from what I have heard anyway) at accomplishing some level of change and accountability.

Re: governmental change, I have an American friend who has lived in China for a number of years who comments that China changes, but simply at a much slower pace than we’re used to in the west; he connects this partially with the long history of the country. An interesting thought anyway… I’m still gathering observations myself to try to reach some sort of conclusion.