Introduction
China is the home to one of the oldest civilizations, where different philosophies, such as Confucianism originated and developed. When economic plan, we study the recent political history, of China, we learn that this Chinese history continues to influence the evolution of China’s political system, which is unique and odd. We also learn that the recent political history, of China, started after the end of World War II, in which Japan surrendered and had to leave the Chinese territory that it ceased during its intense and bloody campaign to expand the Imperial Empire of Japan.
Origin of Chinese Political System
To understand China’s Political System, it is imperative to understand its origin and evolution. After the World War II, the Civil War started between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) and Communists, which were led by charismatic Mao Zedong. However, it must be acknowledged that it was during the Long March, Mao Zedong emerged as the leader of communists, and it was during this time he devised a strategy to implement communist agenda\manifesto on China. However, because of the Civil War, he had to postpone his agenda for the Civil War. However, he got the chance to implement that agenda, in 1949. Therefore, it can be said that The Republic was born in 1949. However, it must also be recognized that for the communists or Mao Zedong, the process of establishing a full-fledged communist state was long and many administrative and military measures were required to establish it. The administrative measures were needed to develop institutions so that The Great Leap Forward can be implemented. Though, the military measures were required to crush any resistance to the implementation of the communist agenda (Dumbaugh, 2010).
China’s Political System (Institutions and Functions)
China’s Political system is controlled by the Communist Party of China (CPC), which follows a very flexible constitution that can be amended or changed as per requirements. For instance, during the period of reforms, this constitution was amended so that that private investment can be facilitated. Also, it also introduced several political instruments to control the process of reforms. In addition to that, the institution of Political-Buru works as a brain of CPC, where various kinds of ideas are thoroughly discussed before the introduction and implementation. However, it is not a completely independent institution, as members, 25, of it is selected by the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (Huffington Post, 2017).
A Political-Economic System (Command Economy)
There are very few variants of the communist system, and in all these variants, the economy is the prime concern. In fact, the communist political system is sometimes identified as a command economy, as both political and economic instruments and institutions are amalgamated to an extent. Therefore, it was natural that all the objectives, of the Republic of China, are political-economic. The example of such political-economic objective was the Great Leap Forward, a five year, which was set for political-economic reforms. China’s political-economic system is designed to narrow political and economic objectives, to the extent that they fuse with one another. All strategic and tactical decisions, regarding politics and economy, are taken by the Central Committee; however, they are discussed thoroughly by the People’s National Congress and in Political-Buru. Therefore, there is a system developed to not only narrow down political and economic objectives, to the point that they embed with one another, but also a system is devised to identify these various kinds of objectives (Bell, 2015).
As we have discussed earlier that the Chinese political system is embedded in the economic system; therefore, it is not possible to discuss one without the other. Therefore, in the subsequent sections, we will primarily discuss the political system of China and also economic system.
Lack of Democracy
As per the conventional understanding, electoral process or popular vote is a fundamental component of democracy. It is an instrument to determine the will of the people, and through a vote, nation expresses its will. However, in China, it is the Communist Party of China that rules (One Party System) and various instruments and institutions of its aid the party in determining the objectives and future course (Stanzel, 2016).
As China lacks democratic system; therefore, the will of the nation is not known, which gives birth to various kinds of theories regarding the repressive nature of the political system. In fact, a lot has been written in the Western media, regarding the challenges, such as lack of transparency and freedom of expression, because of the absence of democracy. We also learn, from the systematic scrutiny of evidence, that not only information is controlled, but it is also engineered to maintain The Bamboo Curtain. However, Chinese political experts assert that China has no issue with democracy and in Hong Kong democracy is allowed to prevail and sustain. China further asserts that political system flexible, which beliefs in one country and many systems. Though, currently in China, two systems are functioning simultaneously (Stanzel, 2016).
It Does Not Matter Whether Cat Is Black or White
Since devising a communist political-economic system, various kinds of reforms have been introduced by the Chinese leadership, to meet the set-political economic objectives. The early objectives were not met, and their pursuit by the political-economic system only wasted limited resources. Therefore, the Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping decided to introduce some political and economic reforms, which continue to influence and shape China’s political and economic systems (Kuo, 2016).
The emphasis, of Chinese leadership, vision reforms and the unity of the Communist Party of China (CPC), as suggested by Deng. The Chinese political system is comprehensive, and it is highly amendable; therefore, it has been simple for the Communist Party of China to introduce reforms to the political-economic system. (Wei, 2015). It also suggests that for the political-economic system, the ultimate concern is a strategic objective and not the system (comparatively). It implies that China will not shy from introducing reforms to the political system if it ensures the system’s sustenance.
Emergence of New Power Centers in Chinese Political System
New studies suggest that the political system of China, which amalgamated with the economic system, is controlled by the Communist Party of China and People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It is a non-democratic system; however, it is widely accepted the system. For instance, this contemporary system, which is mockingly called The Middle Kingdom, devise policies and strategies through Central Committee and Political-Buru. Though, process, of decision making, is influenced by The National People’s Congress (Bell, 2015). The unicameral parliament, of China, is responsible for introducing reforms or changes, of various natures and for the implementation, institutions are developed. With the time, China has improved its bureaucratic system and developed an instrument to manage political and economic affairs, at day-to-day basis (Dumbaugh, 2010).
Conclusion
It can be concluded that China’s economic growth suggests that its political system has improved and developed the capacity to meet political, economic, and social objectives. We learn that during the early period, soon after the Chinese Civil War, the regime introduced some plans and various reforms; however, these reforms, such as Five Year Economic Plan and Cultural Revolution failed to produce desired results. Also, because of these reforms or plans, the system was jolted quite badly, and it took several years to manage these affairs. It pushed the Communist Party of China to introduce of a host of reforms in the late 1970s, under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. These reforms asserted a unique kind of influence on the political and economic system, and by the time, power centers shifted slightly. For instance, with time, the power of the People’s Liberation Army has grown, and it has emerged as a political player.
We can project that in the years to come, the political structure of China will remain intact, as there is no serious opposition to this system from within and outside. Also, the system will not be changed either because of these introduced reforms or changes related to it.
References
Bell, D. A. (2015, may 29). Chinese Democracy Isn’t Inevitable: Can a political system be democratically legitimate without being democratic? Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/chinese-democracy-isnt-inevitable/394325/
Dumbaugh, K. (2010). Understanding China’s Political System. Washington: DIANE Publishing.
Huffington Post. (2017, February 2). The Political Structure of the People’s Republic of China and the Culture of its Important Cities. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-political-structure-of-the-peoples-republic-of_us_58aaa22ee4b026a89a7a2da7
Kuo, M. A. (2016, July 29). China’s Economic Reforms: Global Outlook. Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2016/07/chinas-economic-reforms-global-outlook/
Stanzel, A. (2016, July 14). Chinese culture after the Cultural Revolution. Retrieved from https://cpianalysis.org/2016/07/14/chinese-culture-after-the-cultural-revolution/
Wei, W. (2015, June 4). Why China’s Political Reforms Failed. Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/why-chinas-political-reforms-failed/
+447462439809