China Would Develop Better Without the Communist Party
Jul 20, 2024
Many Chinese compatriots have long been misled by CCP propaganda, believing that only the Communist Party can develop China’s economy. However, this claim does not hold up under scrutiny. It should be noted that throughout China’s thousands of years of history without the Communist Party, the country achieved remarkable civilizational accomplishments. The Chinese people have historically demonstrated strong adaptability and innovation. However, due to the CCP’s repeated disruptions, artificially imposed obstacles, and international resistance stemming from its ideology, this promising country was once mired in difficulties.
The CCP’s Political Movements
Without the Communist Party, China would have avoided various political movements such as Socialist Reform, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. These movements consumed vast social, economic, and human resources, leading to economic stagnation and social chaos.
Socialist Reform (1947-1956):
The CCP violently seized land and property, publicly criticized and executed millions of landlords and wealthy peasants. Subsequently, the CCP deprived farmers of private ownership of land and production materials, leading to a decline in agricultural productivity. The implementation of collectivization resulted in decreased agricultural efficiency and fluctuations in grain output. The CCP forcibly transformed private enterprises into state-owned enterprises, leading to the disappearance of the private economy.
The Great Leap Forward (1958-1962):
This movement led to extreme blind development in agriculture and industry, resulting in a sharp decline in grain production and triggering a massive famine, which is estimated to have caused the deaths of millions.
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976):
During this period, society was in turmoil, and economic activities came to a near standstill. Many factories stopped production, schools were closed, and intellectuals and technical personnel were forced to the countryside or persecuted, causing a significant waste of human resources.
During these political movements, the country’s economic policies changed frequently, severely restricting economic development. Especially during the Cultural Revolution, normal production and business activities were replaced by political struggles, leading to economic stagnation. Due to frequent political movements, national resources were heavily consumed in political struggles and campaigns, causing delays in infrastructure construction and technological progress. The exposure and criticism during political movements led to a severe social trust crisis, and the moral system of society was severely damaged. A large number of intellectuals were overthrown or persecuted during political movements, causing severe damage to China’s scientific, educational, and cultural undertakings. Traditional culture was severely impacted, and many cultural elites were suppressed or even persecuted to death.
In contrast, a non-Communist government would have focused more on economic development and social construction, avoiding these unnecessary detours.
Assistance from the U.S. and Soviet Union
Although the Soviet Union provided assistance to the CCP government, it also brought the drawbacks of a planned economy. The results show that the Soviet-style planned economy model was more harmful than beneficial to China’s social and economic development. The Soviet Union itself fell into a dead end of development.
For an anti-Communist Chinese government, the United States might have replaced the Soviet Union in providing economic and military assistance. For example, during the Anti-Japanese War and the subsequent Civil War between the Kuomintang and the CCP, the United States provided substantial assistance to the Kuomintang government. In 1941, with the outbreak of World War II, the U.S. provided aid to anti-fascist countries, including China, through the Lend-Lease Act. Under this Act, the U.S. provided the Republic of China with substantial military supplies and economic support.
After the Anti-Japanese War ended, the U.S. continued to provide military assistance and large-scale economic loans and aid funds to the Kuomintang government, helping it maintain military superiority in the civil war with the CCP and sustain the operation of the Kuomintang government and the wartime economy. Compared to the Soviet Union, the U.S. focused more on market economy, technology transfer, and global trade as its aid model.
If China had not had the Communist Party, the presence of Communist regimes in North Korea and Vietnam would also be questionable. During the Cold War, the greatest geopolitical conflict might have been with the Soviet Union, but this would also have been advantageous, as more capitalist countries would have provided assistance to counter the Soviet Union.
The Post-WWII Economic Boom
China missed the golden era of capitalist economic development during the Cold War because of the CCP. While the CCP was engaged in political movements, neighboring non-Communist countries and regions like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan experienced an economic boom and made significant progress after World War II.
Japan experienced rapid economic growth from the 1950s to the 1970s, known as the “Japanese economic miracle.”
South Korea began rapid economic development in the 1960s, implementing a series of five-year plans to promote export-oriented industrialization. By the 1990s, South Korea had transformed from a low-income to a high-income country.
Taiwan experienced economic takeoff in the 1950s, with rapid industrialization and economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s, becoming one of the “Four Asian Tigers” and developing a strong high-tech industry in the 1980s and 1990s.
The CCP borrowed from the export-oriented industrialization strategies, economic reforms, and open-market policies, as well as the education and technology investments of these countries and regions. These experiences helped the CCP implement a series of market-oriented reforms after 1978, driving rapid economic growth.
A non-Communist government would have been more likely to adopt open and market-oriented economic policies, promoting rapid economic development. In the social and cultural fields, such a government would also have been more inclined to implement open policies, promoting social progress and cultural diversity.
International Relations and Globalization
After a series of political movements such as the Cultural Revolution, the CCP finally reflected on its mistakes. Starting in 1978, it implemented a series of economic reforms, strengthened the rule of law, improved relations with Western countries, and promoted international division of labor and cooperation, leading to rapid economic development. Although the CCP finally seized this development opportunity after reflecting on and correcting a series of mistakes, this does not mean that only the Communist Party could have had such an opportunity.
Currently, China’s economic development is largely attributed to its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the influence of globalization. It should be made clear that these external factors were not created by the CCP. Whether it was the influx of foreign capital, the preferential tariffs from developed countries, or the transfer of technology, none of these goals could have been achieved without the cooperation of Western countries.
China’s economic growth is inherently the result of the natural advancement of global science and technology, not the merit of the CCP. On the contrary, the rapid economic growth reveals how the CCP has caused China’s backwardness. Simply put, without the various issues and obstacles created by the CCP, China’s development path would have been much smoother.
It is important to note that as early as 1947, when the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, the predecessor of the WTO) was signed in Geneva, the Republic of China was already a founding member, enjoying most-favored-nation status. When the United Nations Charter was signed in 1945, the Republic of China was also a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. At that time, China was already in a favorable position on the “opposite shore” and did not need the CCP to “cross the river by feeling the stones” for reform and opening up.
Without the Communist Party, China would face much less ideological opposition, making it easier to access international resources, technology, and support from the international community, which would help China more freely enter the global market.
Conclusion
Through analysis and comparison, we know that China does not need the CCP to develop its economy. The CCP has long been a hindrance to China’s progress. Without ideological opposition, China would be able to integrate into the international market more smoothly, obtain more international resources and support, and achieve more stable and prosperous development. Although we cannot change history, we can learn from it, seize the present opportunities, and free ourselves from the shackles of the CCP.
– This text was translated by AI. –