I came across this thoughtful response a while back, on Facebook of all places, and to this day it’s still one of the best intros to the “is China socialist?” question I’ve seen.— professional hog groomer (@bidetmarxman) January 25, 2022
I thought this was really well thought out actually
It is baffling that Westerners on the Left think that a government would go through all the trouble of portraying itself as a socialist country, with all the added threats from anti-communism and US intervention, just to be a capitalist country.
Building socialism is hard, we know this. So if the goal was anything other than building socialism that imagines a better safeguarded, more prosperous, path than former failed socialist states, why the hell would they go through all the trouble?
Everybody knows the communism by 2050 line. Like I’ve said many times, I hope all the dengists are right and it comes to pass. I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong.
(Disregarding the fact that by pointing to the “socialism by 35” line, you’re literally admitting that China is currently capitalist. Capitalism being allegedly steered towards socialism is still capitalism.)
It is baffling that Westerners on the Left think that a government would go through all the trouble of portraying itself as a socialist country, with all the added threats from anti-communism and US intervention, just to be a capitalist country.
I’d speculate because the CPC is the glue holding the whole edifice together and for the party to outwardly renounce communism would be political suicide. That would be an uneducated guess though, and I know there are countless dedicated communists in the CPC. I don’t claim to be an expert on inner-party workings of the CPC. But I know a market (i.e. capitalist) economy when I see one.
Disregarding the fact that by pointing to the “socialism by 35” line, you’re literally admitting that China is currently capitalist. Capitalism being allegedly steered towards socialism is still capitalism.)
China has capitalism but isnt capitalist. It has a mixed economy. For China to be capitalist capitalists would have to be able take control/be able to heavily influence the state in a way that benefits the bourgeoisie, which isnt the case.
They've been heavily investing in public infrastructure and eradicating poverty. They don't even shy back regulating their highly profitable tech industry, etc. China is state socialist
The country was founded on the basis of communism. The people there like communism. It's distant now but there is still memory of the Mao era and a clear understanding of what they learned about capitalism, imperialism, and feudalism in that time and before. If the party were to renounce communism it would be a denunciation of what modern Chinese society was founded on and the masses would know that.
Read "2050 China: Becoming a Great Modern Socialist Country", their goals for 2050 are just becoming fully modernized and a stable world power, absolutely nowhere do they mention ever moving away from their current model.
The party has literally already answered that. They’re working towards communism by 2050, with socialism by 2035.
Most importantly, simply read the very real, detailed, material plans they have set out describing the steady path to fully socialist mode of production.
It is baffling that Westerners on the Left think that a government would go through all the trouble of portraying itself as a socialist country, with all the added threats from anti-communism and US intervention, just to be a capitalist country.
Building socialism is hard, we know this. So if the goal was anything other than building socialism that imagines a better safeguarded, more prosperous, path than former failed socialist states, why the hell would they go through all the trouble?
Everybody knows the communism by 2050 line. Like I’ve said many times, I hope all the dengists are right and it comes to pass. I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong.
(Disregarding the fact that by pointing to the “socialism by 35” line, you’re literally admitting that China is currently capitalist. Capitalism being allegedly steered towards socialism is still capitalism.)
I’d speculate because the CPC is the glue holding the whole edifice together and for the party to outwardly renounce communism would be political suicide. That would be an uneducated guess though, and I know there are countless dedicated communists in the CPC. I don’t claim to be an expert on inner-party workings of the CPC. But I know a market (i.e. capitalist) economy when I see one.
China has capitalism but isnt capitalist. It has a mixed economy. For China to be capitalist capitalists would have to be able take control/be able to heavily influence the state in a way that benefits the bourgeoisie, which isnt the case.
They've been heavily investing in public infrastructure and eradicating poverty. They don't even shy back regulating their highly profitable tech industry, etc. China is state socialist
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The country was founded on the basis of communism. The people there like communism. It's distant now but there is still memory of the Mao era and a clear understanding of what they learned about capitalism, imperialism, and feudalism in that time and before. If the party were to renounce communism it would be a denunciation of what modern Chinese society was founded on and the masses would know that.
Read "2050 China: Becoming a Great Modern Socialist Country", their goals for 2050 are just becoming fully modernized and a stable world power, absolutely nowhere do they mention ever moving away from their current model.