China Would Develop Better Without the Communist Party
Jul 20, 2024
Many Chinese people, influenced by prolonged CCP propaganda, believe that only the Communist Party can drive China’s economic development. However, this belief does not hold up under scrutiny. It is essential to recognize that throughout thousands of years without the Communist Party, China achieved remarkable cultural and civilizational accomplishments, with Chinese people exhibiting adaptability and innovative spirit throughout history. However, due to the CCP’s constant disruptions, artificially created obstacles, and the international resistance caused by its ideology, this resource-rich and potential-filled country has repeatedly faced setbacks.
Political Campaigns by the CCP
The CCP is the root cause of Chinese suffering. A China without the Communist Party would have avoided numerous political campaigns like socialist transformation, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. These movements not only led to the deaths of tens of millions but also depleted social, economic, and human resources, resulting in economic stagnation and social chaos.
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Socialist Transformation (1947-1956): The CCP seized land and property through violent means, publicly denouncing and executing millions of landlords and wealthy peasants. Later, the CCP implemented collectivization, stripping farmers of private ownership of land and production resources. Private enterprises were forcibly nationalized, effectively erasing the private sector.
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The Great Leap Forward (1958-1962): Large numbers of laborers were diverted from agriculture to crude steel production, significantly disrupting agricultural activities. Exaggerated reports of high yields led to excessive grain requisitioning, causing widespread famine and the deaths of millions.
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The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976): During this period, social instability was rampant, and economic activity came to a near halt. Many factories shut down, schools closed, and intellectuals and skilled workers were sent to the countryside or subjected to persecution.
Frequent political movements led to extensive resource wastage in political struggles and campaigns, severely hampering economic progress. The denunciations and accusations in these political campaigns created a severe social trust crisis and damaged the moral fabric of society. A vast number of intellectuals and cultural elites were persecuted or killed, resulting in significant talent loss and severe setbacks to China’s scientific, educational, and cultural fields.
Aid from the U.S. and the USSR
While the Soviet Union provided aid to the CCP government, it also introduced the downsides of a planned economy. Experience proved that the Soviet model led China into an economic dead end.
For an anti-Communist government in China, the U.S. might have provided economic and military assistance as a replacement for Soviet support. For instance, with the outbreak of WWII in 1941, the U.S. provided the Republic of China with substantial military and economic aid under the Lend-Lease Act. During the subsequent Chinese Civil War, the U.S. also supported the Nationalist government extensively.
Without the Communist Party, the emergence of Communist regimes in North Korea and Vietnam might also have been averted. During the Cold War, geopolitical conflicts would likely focus on tensions with the Soviet Union, but this could have been advantageous, as more capitalist nations would support China in resisting Soviet influence.
The Golden Era of Post-WWII Economic Development
China missed the capitalist world’s post-WWII golden era of economic development due to the CCP. While China endured political campaigns, neighboring non-Communist regions like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan experienced unprecedented economic growth and progress.
- 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-led industrialization, and by the 1990s had transformed into a high-income country.
- Taiwan took off economically in the 1950s, and by the 1960s and 1970s experienced rapid industrialization and growth, becoming one of the “Four Asian Tigers” and developing a robust high-tech industry by the 1980s and 1990s.
The CCP borrowed from these countries’ experiences, particularly the export-led industrialization strategy and the role of government in economic planning. These lessons significantly influenced the CCP’s market reforms and export-oriented growth model, which propelled China’s economic rise.
International Relations and Globalization
Although the CCP eventually seized the opportunity to drive rapid economic growth, it does not mean only the Communist Party could achieve this. China’s economic development has largely benefited from joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) and globalization, factors not created by the CCP. Foreign investments, tariff reductions, and technology transfers depended on the cooperation of Western nations, which would have been impossible without their support.
China’s economic growth resulted from advancements in global technology and economics, not CCP achievements. On the contrary, rapid growth highlighted the setbacks caused by the CCP. Simply put, without the artificial problems and obstacles created by the CCP, China’s path to development would have been smoother.
It is worth noting that as early as 1947, the Republic of China was a founding member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor of the WTO, enjoying Most Favored Nation status. Additionally, as one of the founding members of the United Nations in 1945, the Republic of China was already a permanent member of the UN Security Council. At that time, China had a favorable position internationally and did not need the CCP to “cross the river by feeling the stones” for reform and opening up.
Without the Communist Party, ideological divisions would significantly decrease, making it easier for China to access international capital, technology, and markets.
Conclusion
Analyzing and comparing the situation shows that China does not need the CCP to achieve economic development. For decades, the CCP has been an obstacle to China’s progress, the root cause of Chinese suffering. Without ideological divisions, China would more easily access international capital, technology, and markets, gaining more international support, leading to a more stable and prosperous development path. Although we cannot change history, we can learn from it, seize current opportunities, and let go of the shackles of the CCP.