This is going to be an unpopular position here, but the Chinese system is neither a temporary retrenchment to capitalism, nor is it just state capitalism with socialist rhetoric covering it up- China is socialist. Period. Having a market sector in the overall framework of a planned, publicly-owned economy is what Socialism looks like in the 21st century. Venezuela, Nicaragua, Belarus, and Vietnam use this model, and increasingly Cuba and the DPRK are moving in the Chinese direction. There's nothing false or fake about Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Maybe in the future they'll move in the direction of a fully centrally planned economy, and there are factions in the party that want to do just that, but that takes nothing away from the fact that their system right now is an example of real, actual socialism, even with their billionaires. Western communists who are wondering whether China will become their ideal picture of a socialist state or whether it's actually some kind of state capitalist hat trick are missing what's right in front of their faces.
This is going to be an unpopular position here, but the Chinese system is neither a temporary retrenchment to capitalism, nor is it just state capitalism with socialist rhetoric covering it up- China is socialist. Period. Having a market sector in the overall framework of a planned, publicly-owned economy is what Socialism looks like in the 21st century. Venezuela, Nicaragua, Belarus, and Vietnam use this model, and increasingly Cuba and the DPRK are moving in the Chinese direction. There's nothing false or fake about Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Maybe in the future they'll move in the direction of a fully centrally planned economy, and there are factions in the party that want to do just that, but that takes nothing away from the fact that their system right now is an example of real, actual socialism, even with their billionaires. Western communists who are wondering whether China will become their ideal picture of a socialist state or whether it's actually some kind of state capitalist hat trick are missing what's right in front of their faces.