Centre- Provincial Relations The Party and the Regions .docx

Centre- Provincial
Relations: The Party and
the Regions
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China and the Chinese Civilization
The Middle County
Concept of China as unconquered territory for thousands of
years
Geographically, culturally and ethnically extremely diverse
China as a ‘Civilization State

rather than nation State’ – Martin
Jaques
When China Rules the World
Taiwan and the One China Policy
In 2003, the Chinese government published a White Paper
which states that ‘since the
Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD) [Xinjiang] has been an
inseparable part of the
multi-ethnic Chinese nation’

The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed
between May
and October 1648 in largely ending the European wars of
religion.
Westphalian sovereignty, or state sovereignty, is the principle
in international law that each nation
state has exclusive sovereignty over its territory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxDyJ_6N-6A

The Warring States period was
an era in ancient Chinese history
following the Spring and
Autumn period and concluding
with the Qin wars of conquest
that saw the annexation of all
other contender states, which
ultimately led to the Qin state's
victory in 221 BC as the first
unified Chinese empire known
as the Qin dynasty.
The Warring States Period
Confucius
孔子

Pu Yi was made puppet emperor of
northeast Manchuria in 1932 which the
Japanese renamed as Manchukuo
After the defeat of the Japanese in 1945
he was captured by the Communist and
imprisoned for nine years labour camp

The Great Develop the West Campaign
Launched in 2001 西部大开发
From 1999 to 2001, Xinjiang and Guangxi displayed an annual
GDP percent increase of as high as 30%
The combined GDP of the western regions reached 3.33 trillion
yuan in 2005, compared with 1.66 trillion yuan in 2000
Nevertheless, the economic growth rate of China’s East
continues
to exceed that of the West, causing the western share of
domestic
product to continue to fall.
The West’s contribution to the GDP decreased from 20.88% in
1990 to 17.13% in 2000
Some Reasons for this disparity
Resources and Population

Competition between provinces/cities
Power of local officials - who are they answerable to
Control over the courts
Central China is administered through:
23 Provinces including Taiwan
5 Autonomous Regions
Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and
Guangxi
4 Municipalities
Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Shanghai

2 Special Administrative Regions
Hong Kong and Macao
Minority Policy of the People’s
Republic
Sun-Yat-Sen identified 5 ethnic groups in China
Han, Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan and Muslim (Hui)
Helped unite people in opposition to Qing rulers who were

Manchu
When Communists came to power in 1949 they looked more to
Soviet model
Identified 56 ethnic groups
Minority Policy of the People’s Republic
Unlike the USSR the PRC didn’t not set up Republics such as
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
Developed concept of Autonomous regions, prefectures,
counties
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Inner Mongolia Mongolian Autonomous Region
Tibetan Autonomous Region
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
China as a ‘multi-ethnic’ state
56 distinct ethnic groups within China
These make up the Zhonghua Minzu, the greater Chinese
nationality
Han make up just under 92 per cent of the population
According to 2010 census 8.49 per cent of people belong to an
ethnic minority approx 106 million people
Taken alone they would be the world’s12th largest country

Concept of Minzu
Often translated into English as ‘nationality’
Has its origins in Marxist/Leninist ideology
The People’s Republic adopted Stalin’s definition of ethnic
minority
Founding text of this ethnography was Stalin’s Marxism and the
National
Question 1913
An ethnic group (narod) is defined by ‘a historically formed
stable
community of language, territory, economic life and
psychological
formation, manifested through a common culture’.
Stalin, Joseph. “Marxism and the National Question.” In
Collected Works of
J.V. Stalin Vol. II. Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing
House, 1953.

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Why Autonomy?
“We say China is a country vast in territory, rich in resources
and large
in population; as a matter of fact it is the Han whose population
is large
and the minority nationalities whose territory is vast and whose
resources are rich.”
Mao Zedong The Writings of Mao Zedong 1949-1976: Vol II
January
1956 – December 1957. pp43-66 (Armonk, NY: ME Sharpe
1986)

Autonomy
Like Chinese Provinces, an autonomous region has its own
local government, but an autonomous region theoretically has
more legislative rights
The governor of an autonomous region is always from the local
minzu
However the real power is in the hands of the local Party
Secretary who is almost always Han
Shokrait Zakir
Chen Quangguo
Minority Rights

Enshrined in the constitution
Language and culture legally protected
Positive Action
Right to be taught in their own language, practice
culture etc. enshrined in constitution
Family Planning
Russians
Just over 11,000 Russians in Xinjiang
The earliest Russian community in Xinjiang were
immigrants from 18th century Tsarist Russia. Since then,

the majority arrived during the 19th century and around the
“October Revolution” of 1917.
Some merchants and farmers also settled down in the
border areas of Ili and Tacheng during the 19th and early
20th centuries, later forming communities there.
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Dru Gladney (1994) argues that the ethnic
signifier of being Han was fashioned in
‘relational alterity’, or through identifying
‘Otherness’ in the non-Han peoples of China.
In doing so, the assigning of ethnic identities
embodied the colourful, backward, and
exotic/erotic national minorities through a
process of internal orientalism.

July 5 2009
February 2017
Next weeks Seminar question
How, despite all these divisions has
China managed to remain so
strongly unified? Or has it?

Government and Politics
of China
(10 Credits)
Introductory Lecture
The module aims to develop students'
knowledge and understanding of the key
concepts, processes, and institutions in
Chinese politics during the reform era.

Assessment
•Coursework 1 2,000 word essay
(worth 70%) Due Dec 11 4pm
Essay Topics Available in week3
•Coursework 2 1,000 word
Reflective Learning Journal (worth 30%) Due
December 24 4pm
Lecture/Seminar
At the beginning of each week one
student will give a short in-class
presentation on the previous week’s

topic to be followed by discussion
Relationship between Party and State
Communist Party of China 中国共产党
Founded in 1921
General Secretary Xi Jinping
The CPC adheres to Marxism–Leninism,
Mao Zedong Thought
Socialism with Chinese characteristics
Deng Xiaoping Theory
Three Represents
Scientific Outlook on Development.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

for a New Era
85 million members
18th National Party Congress
November 8th 2012
“Core” of the Communist Party’s Central Committee

Peng Li Yuan
Son of revolutionary icon Xi Zhongxun
Purged during the Cultural Revolution

"We must make persistent efforts, press ahead
with indomitable will, continue to push forward
the great cause of socialism with Chinese
characteristics, and strive to achieve the Chinese
dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese
nation,"

Xi Jinping First Address to the Nation March 17
2013
Party Secretary of

Chongqing
Former Minister for
Commerce
Widely tipped to join
Standing Committee
Governor of Liaoning
Mayor of Dalian
‘Princeling’ son of Bo Yibo
Hugely ambitious and
charismatic
Party Secretary of one of China’s
most important municipalities

Singing Red and Smashing Black
Singing Red and Smashing Black
Over 2,000 people arrested for gang related activities
‘Godmother’ Xie Caiping
Wang Lijun
Gu Kailai
Bo Guagua
Neil Heywood

Neil Haywood
Seems to have been something of a fixer for
Bo and Gu
Bai Shoutao or White Glove for the family
Helped get Bo Guagua into Harrow
Found dead in the Lucky Holiday Hotel in
Chongqing on Novermber14 2011
Death caused by ‘alcohol poisoning’ no autopsy
Feb 22nd 2012 Wang Lejun vists US
Consulate in Chengdu
Wang was abruptly demoted on 2 February to the far less

prestigious position of Vice-mayor overseeing education,
science, and environmental affairs.
Shortly after Wang's meeting at the U.S. consulate,
Chongqing municipal government information offices
stated that Wang was “seriously indisposed due to long
term overwork and intense mental stress.
In March Hu Jintao reportedly denounced Wang as a
traitor to the Communist Party.
In June Xinhua reported that Wang had resigned as a
deputy to the China parliament.
[
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Lijun#cite_note-32

In September 2012 he was charged with and convicted of abuse
of power, bribe
taking, defection and “bending the law for selfish ends.”
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Gu Kailai
Following the Wang Lijun incident and Bo's removal from key
Communist Party posts, Gu was placed
under investigation for homicide in Heywood's death

On 20 August 2012, following a one day trial she was found
guilty of the murder of Haywood Gu
Kailai received a suspended death sentence.
Gu Kailai testified against
her husband
“[She] has changed, she’s
crazy and she’s always
making things up”
22 September 2013 found guilty on all counts, including,
accepting bribes and abuses of
power, stripped him of all his assets, and sentenced him to life
imprisonment

Zhou Yongkang
On June 11 2015 Zhou Yongkang was sentenced to life in
prison
for “accepting bribes, abusing his power and deliberately
disclosing state secrets”
Sun Zhengcai
2012-2017 Party Secretary of
Chongqing

On September 29, 2017, the Central Commission for Discipline
Inspection, accused Sun of "wavering in his ideals and beliefs,
turned his back against the party's mission and values, failed to
maintain a proper political stance... violated political discipline
and
political rules, violated the Eight-point Regulation, bathed in
pomp
and circumstance and belief in his special privileges; violated
organizational discipline, practiced favoritism, and leaked
organizational secrets."

The CCP at 100
It can be argued that China never
been:
More Peaceful
More Secure
More Stable
Richer

More confident
China reduced its poverty level by 71 percent in 30 years
China’s Infant mortality rate has fallen from approx. 300 per
1000
in the 1950s to approx. 30 per 1000

Pollution
Just 1 percent of China’s urban
inhabitants were considered to
breath air that the EU would
consider to be safe.

Pollution causing between
350,000 and 400,000 deaths a
year.
30 percent of Yunnan children
under 14 had led poisoning.
http://aqicn.org/map/
http://aqicn.org/map/
An official report in 2004
estimated that pollution had cost
just over 3 percent of GDP
.Researchers at Harvard University last year
said China’s cuts in sulphur-dioxide

emissions in recent years may have been
“one of the most swiftly effective air-
pollution policies ever implemented
anywhere” (Economist March 8 2014).
The plan is for China to increase the
proportion of renewable energy in primary
energy consumption from 7 percent in 2005
to 15 percent in 2020
In the early 1980s Chen Yun one of the most
influential political figures in the reform era spoke
of corruption as a matter of life and death for the
party.

“Walder (1994, pp 297-323) and others have noted that party
authority was founded on citizen-dependence upon officials for
satisfaction of material needs and for access to career
opportunities.
“This system increased cynicism towards officialdom and a
disrespect for those in authority, who were seen as self-serving
rather than ‘servants of the people’, as the official ideology
claimed”

(Saich 2011 p374)
A 2008 survey found that 75.5 percent of respondents ranked
corruption and cleaner government as their top concern.
“…ordinary citizens are more
concerned about the everyday
small corruption that makes their
life complicated: the red envelopes
filled with money to get to see the
doctor or get the prescription that
is one’s right, the illegal fees that
are paid to the schools to make
sure that children can get the
education they are promised; and
so on.” (Saich 2011, 377)

The Slowing Economy
Territorial Issues
The Thucydides Trap?
Where a rising power causes fear in
an established power which
escalates toward war.
Thucydides wrote: "What made war
inevitable was the growth of
Athenian power and the fear which

this caused in Sparta.
Civil Unrest
China spends more on domestic security than on its military
Article 35 of the Constitution
Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of
speech, of the press,
of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.
Organisational Challenges
January 1 2015 stampede in Shanghai left 36 people dead

While local officials attended a 4,000 Yuan dinner per head
feast at
one of Shanghai’s top Sushi restaurants
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/
worldnews/asia/china/11342038/S
hanghai-officials-gorged-on-413-
a-head-sushi-as-fatal-New-Years-
Eve-stampede-unfolded.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/1134203
8/Shanghai-officials-gorged-on-413-a-head-sushi-as-fatal-New-
Years-Eve-stampede-unfolded.html

The Demographic Challenges
China will soon have 160 men to every 100 women
Ideological Challenges
Is China a Marxist-Leninist state?
“For the center . . . to actually
direct the orchestra, it needs to
know who plays violin and

where, who plays a false note
and why.”
- Lenin 1912
“The Chinese Communist Party is the
successor to and promoter of fine traditional
Chinese culture” Xi 2014
“We must uphold Marxism, firm up
and further build the ideal of
Communism and a shared ideal of
socialism with Chinese
characteristics, and nurture and
practice core socialist values”,
Xi told the opening of the 19

th
National Party Congress (NPC)
“Any drifting away from or
betraying Marxism will lead to
the Party's losing its soul and
direction as it moves forward”
- Xi 2017
Deng Xiaoping Theory
The Three Represents
1. The Party should represent the advanced

productive forces in society.
2. The Party should represent advanced
modern culture.
3. The Party should represent the interests
of the vast majority of the people.
Scientific Development Concept
Democracy with Chinese Characteristics
The Chinese Dream

What are the biggest problems Xi Jinping faces as we
enter 2018?
Swatting Tigers and
Flies: is political
corruption a natural by-
product of one-party
rule?
“A handful of senior party officials,
overcome by their political cravings
and lust for power, have resorted to
political conspiracies by working with
ostensible obedience, while forming
cliques to pursue selfish interests,” Xi
wrote in a People’s Daily commentary
2016

Li Huanan Deputy Party
Secretary Shenzhen
Tried to move US144
million dollars to Hong
Kong
General Xu Caihou
Until 2013 Vice-Chair of Central Military
Commission
In October 2014, Xu confessed to taking
bribes, becoming the highest-profile figure in
China's military to be charged with
corruption.
Xu took advantage of his position to assist

the promotion of other people, accepting
huge bribes personally and through his
family.
Died in March
Lt Gen Gu Junshan
Deputy director of the People's
Liberation Army (PLA) General
Logistics Department until January
2012
Gu stands accused of selling
hundreds of military positions.

Among the items
confiscated was a “pure
gold” statue of Chairman
Mao and hundreds of
boxes of Maotai, a high-
end Chinese liquor
Ling Jihua
Chief of the General Office of the Communist Party of China
between 2007 and 2012, Ling was
charged with corruption and sentenced to life imprisonment
Guo Boxiong former vice-chair of Central Military Commission
On July 25, 2016, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for

bribery.
Zhang Yun, president, vice-chairman, and deputy
Communist party secretary of Agricultural Bank of
China had been “taken away to assist an
investigation”
Si Xinmin, chairman of China Southern Airlines
Zhu Fushou, President of Dongfeng Motors
Wei Pengyuan
Formerly deputy chief of the coal

bureau under the National Energy
Administration
Investigators found 200million yuan
in his home
If all that money was in 100-
yuan notes, China's largest
cash denomination, it would
pile 200 meters (656 feet) high
— more than two-thirds the
height of the Eiffel Tower, and
weigh more than 2 tons
Shanxi Corruption Investigation
A number of very senior officials have been caught up in a

investigation into abuse of power
Coal rich province
Some with ties to Zhou
Liu Zhijun
In July 2013 former minister of railways Liu Zhijun
to death, with a two-year reprieve, for bribery and
abuse of power.
Accused of embezeling approx. 60 million yuan.
Liu was a driving force behind the modernisation of
China's rail system

Wenzhou Rail crash
Liu Tienan
Director of the National Energy
Administration between 2011 and 2013
Lost his job in May 2013 after a former
mistress told a journalist that he had
embezzled $200 million from banks.
The journalist posted allegations on his
weibo page.
Went on trial in September

In May Shao Yanfang, a member of Zhejiang's regional
committee of Chinese People' s Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC), has been disqualified as a political
advisor.
She was found to have hoarded 22 elephant tusks at her
home in Jinhua City at the end of last year.
According to Xinhua investigation showed that Shao had
in recent years purchased a total of 36 tusks from two
brothers surnamed Wang.
Zhou Yongkang
Zhou’s family allegedly made billions
of dollars by investing in the oil
industry, of which Zhou headed the
industries largest oil and gas company,
China National Petroleum Corps.

By March 2014, Chinese authorities
were reported to have seized assets
worth at least 90 billion yuan ($14.5
billion) from Zhou's family members
and associates.
On June 11 Zhou Yongkang was sentenced to life in prison for
“accepting bribes, abusing his power and deliberately disclosing
state secrets”
More than 170 ministers and

deputy minister-level officials
have been sacked and many jailed
since Xi Jinping became leader in
2012
According to government statistics
more than one million officials
have been punished for corruption
over the past three yeas.
56 five-star hotels in China had asked to be
downgraded last year in order to survive, as local
governments have been prohibited from using
luxury hotels.

Chen Miaolin, chairman of New Century Tourism
Group, told Xinhua that revenues at his group’s
(mostly five-star) hotels fell by 18% last year.
(Economist June 25)
Flower arrangements and exotic Chinese dishes
like shark fin have been banned from official
functions.
Rémy Martin cognac sales fell by more than
30% in the last three months of 2013 over the
previous year, mostly owing to falling Chinese
demand.
In September China Southern Airlines announced it

would no longer sell First Class seats, now they sell
‘Business Class’
"China's anti-corruption campaign looks to have weighed
on public spending in some consumption of goods and
services," said Qinwei Wang of Capital Economics.
Wang estimates that the clean up drive may have shaved
GDP growth for the full year by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage
points, or about $20 billion.
Source CNN January 30
Beijing has estimated that since the mid-

1990s, 16,000 to 18,000 corrupt officials and
employees of state-owned enterprises have
fled China or gone into hiding with pilfered
assets totaling more than 800 billion yuan
($135 billion).
Chinese authorities launched Operation Fox
Hunt this year, targeting corrupt officials who
have absconded abroad.
Yu Zhendong, accused of embezzling
$485 million from a Chinese state-
owned bank returned by U.S.
Leading economist Wu Jinglian has said China's
widening income disparity was largely caused by
unequal opportunity, which is a result of corruption

and monopoly.
"Cracking down on corruption for equal
opportunity is beneficial to improving efficiency.
“High income in monopolized sectors is not a
result of personal abilities. The key in reducing the
income gap lies in rooting out corruption and
marketing monopolized industries,"
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of
the Communist Party of China
The main party body charged with investigating
corruption.
Former current Secretary is Wang Qishan now Vice
President also a member of the Politburo Standing
Committee.

Shuanggui
Shuanggui – or Double Regulation the process of investigation
where Party Members who are alleged of wrong doing are held
for
an interrogation until a decision is made whether to proceed
with a
formal case against them.
No rights to lawyer or calls to family
Can be held for up to six months
Measuring Corruption
Transparency International (TI) has published the Corruption
Perceptions Index (CPI)
annually ranking countries "by their perceived levels of
corruption, as determined by

expert assessments and opinion surveys."
The CPI generally defines corruption as "the misuse of public
power for private
benefit.“
China was ranked 80th out of 178 countries in 2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption
Least Corrupt
Denmark
New Zealand
Finland
Sweden
Singapore

Most Corrupt
Myanmar
Zimbabwe
Cambodia
Eritrea
Venezuala
What is corruption?
According to 24/7 Wallstreet which has been tracking American

presidents' net worth since 2010. The Bill Clinton net worth
figure
stands at an impressive $55 million.
Accounts for a network of companies used to run TonyBlair’s
business interests made $13 million last year
In 2012
Election
Obama and
Romney
spent over $2
billion on
their
respective
campaigns

In last year’s mid-term
elections $4.6 billion was
spent
In 2012 Wrestling Executive Linda
McMahon spent $97 million on her failed
bid for a Senate seat from Connecticut
Former governor of Illinois

sentenced to 16 years in
prison for trying to ‘sell’
Barack Obama’s Senate seat
Can corruption ever be eradicated?
China Under Reform,
1978-1997
Death of Chairman Mao September 9 1976

It is estimated that somewhere between 2 and 7 million people
were killed or committed suicide during the Cultural Revolution

The Gang of Four
Jiang Qing (d1991)
Zhang Chunqiao (d2005)
Yao Wenyuan (d2005)
Wang Hongwen (d1992)
“I was Chairman Mao’s
dog, whoever he told
me to bit, I bit”
Hua Guofeng
The Two Whatevers Policy
"We will resolutely uphold whatever

policy decisions Chairman Mao
made, and unswervingly follow
whatever instructions Chairman
Mao gave"
Deng Xiaoping
From a peasant background in Sichuan, Deng studied and
worked
in France for five years in the 1920s, where he was influenced
by
Marxism-Leninism.
Joined the Communist Party of China in 1923.
Upon his return to China he worked as a political commissar in
rural regions and was considered a "revolutionary veteran" of
the
Long March.

Played a major role in the economic reconstruction following
the
Great Leap Forward in the early 1960s. His economic policies,
however, were at odds with the political ideologies of Chairman
Mao
As a result, he was purged twice during the Cultural Revolution.
Outmaneuvered Hua and by 1977 it was increasingly clear he
was
in control.
The Third Plenum of the Eleventh Central Committee December
1978
Three Key Decisions
Economic Modernization
Series of political
judgments overturned

Gradual influence of
market forces
Promotion of market mechanisms
Opening up to foreign trade
Farmers could sell surplus
Material incentives seen as the major mechanism to get people
to
work harder
De-collectivization begins
Change much more dramatic in the countryside than the cities
Substantial political reform ruled out

The Reform Period
“Crossing the River by Feeling for the Stones”
1979 Deng puts forward the Four Basic Principles the principles
of
the CCP of which no debate was allowed
1. The principle of upholding the socialist path
2. The principle of upholding the people's democratic
dictatorship
3. The principle of upholding the leadership of the Communist
Party of
China (CPC), and
4. The principle of upholding Mao thought and Marxism-
Leninism
In the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic
Relations, dated

January 1, 1979, the United States transferred diplomatic
recognition from Taipei to
Beijing.
Deng’s historic
visit to US Jan -
Feb 1979
On March 1, 1979, the United States and the People's Republic
of China formally established embassies in each other's capitals.
Nixon visits China
1972
Deng Takes full control
Zhao Ziyang replaces Hua Guofeng as Premier
1980

Hu Yaobang appointed Party Secretary in
1981
Deng becomes chairman of Central
Military Commission November 1981
GDP Growth
Source China Statistical Handbook
Economic Troubles and Political Instability
By 1985 the rapid pace of rural reform had slowed
One side affect of deregulation was the increase in inflation and
corruption

The lifting of price controls in late 1984 led to major
overheating.
Student Protests of 1986 in support of further economic and
social
liberalization and criticising corruption
Hu Yaobang dismissed as Party Secretary and replaced by Zhao
Ziyang
By the summer of 1986, it was clear
that political reform had become an
increasingly divisive issue within the
political leadership
At the annual summer meeting in
Beidaihe some leaders expressed fears

that the political system was only
suited to economic development and
that further reform could lead to the
negation of the Party’s leadership and
the ‘Four Basic Principles’
A campaign against ‘bourgeois liberalization’
was launched after dismissal of Hu but was
short lived
In October 1987 Zhao delivered a speech at
13th Party Congress which favoured
commitment to continued reform
“By 1989, for many urban dwellers the
party’s incompetence and moral laxness had

eroded any vestigial notions that the party
was a moral force in Chinese society” (Saich
2004, 71)
Death of Hu Yaobang April 1989
In university campuses, many posters appeared eulogizing Hu.
Within days, most posters were writing about broader political
issues, such as freedom of the press, democracy, and corruption
Students began gathering in Tiananmen Square
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zhenglianjie_Tiananmen.jpg
Drafted a list of seven demands

1. Affirm as correct Hu Yaobang's views on democracy and
freedom;
2. Admit that the campaigns against spiritual pollution and
bourgeois
liberalization had been wrong;
3. Publish information on the income of state leaders and their
family
members;
4. End the ban on privately run newspapers and stop press
censorship;
5. Increase funding for education and raise intellectuals' pay;
6. End restrictions on demonstrations in Beijing
7. Provide objective coverage of students in official media.
On April 21st night before Hu’s state funeral over 100,000
people gathered in the square

On 22 April serious rioting broke out in Changsha and Xi’an
In Wuhan, university students organized protests against the
provincial government.
On 26 April, the party's official newspaper People's Daily
issued a front-page editorial
titled "It is necessary to take a clear-cut stand against
disturbances.“
The statement enraged students, who interpreted it as a direct
indictment on the protests
and its cause
On 27 April some 50,000-100,000 students marched to
Tiananmen Square,

On May 13th student leaders announced they
would begin a hunger strike
May 15th State Visit of Mikihl Gorbachev
World’s media arrived in Beijing
Welcome reception moved to airport
In the early morning of 19 May, Zhao Ziyang went to
Tiananmen to meet
the students

On 19 May,Deng presided over a meeting of the Standing
Committee and
said that martial law was the only option
At 4:30pm on June 3, politburo standing committee members
met with
military leaders and finalized the order for the enforcement of
martial law
On the evening of June 3, state-run television warned residents
to stay indoors but
crowds of people took to the streets, as they had two weeks
before, to block the
incoming army.
Troops entered the square in the early hours of June 4

June 24 1989 Jiang Zemin
replaces Zhao Ziyang as
CPC General Secretary
March 1990 Jiang became
chairman of the Central
Military Commission
March 1993 became
President of China
Deng Xiaoping Southern Tour 1992

February 1997 Deng Xiaoping dies
First Presentation
‘Evaluate the legacy of Deng Xiaoping’
Village Elections

Taiping Rebellion 1850-1864
Millenarian movement led by Hong Xiuquan
who believed himself to be the brother of Jesus
Christ
Revolt began in Guangxi and quickly spread
throughout southern China
When it was finally put down over 20 million
people were dead
Making it one of the worst military conflicts in
terms of casualties in history
• Prolonged period of instability culminating in the

abdication of the 6 year old Xuantong Emperor (Pu
Yi) in 1912
• China entered a period of
Warlords, turmoil and civil war
Chinese Civil War 1927-1949
Nationalist Guomindang versus Communist Gongchandang
Japanese Invasion and Anti-Japanese War 1935-
1945
Estimated 8 million military and civilian civil war causalities.

Estimated 2.3 million died during the anti-Japanese war
Economic devastation
Economic Recovery and the Adoption of the Soviet
Model
1952-54 Formation of mutual aid teams: Five/Eight Houses
combining for work in
particular seasons, up to 20 houses cooperating on a year round
basis
1954-55 Formation of lower stage agricultural cooperatives:
Roughly 30 houses
pooling labour, land, property animals etc.
1956-67 Formation of higher stage agricultural producers’

cooperatives:
Containing between 100-300 houses, income distribution now
decided on basis of
work points earned
1958-59 Formation of people’s communes: 24,000 communes
were set up to
carry out not only agricultural work but also such things as
industrial work, trade,
education, military, affairs, health village administration and
social welfare

‘The Commune’s
Canteen is Powerful’
People’s Commune in the national strategy
•Support urban industrialisation
•Control agricultural production
•Control food sales and purchase
•Control labour mobility
including rural-urban migration
Sino-Soviet Split 1959

Great Leap Forward
Radical Break with the Soviet Model
Attempt to make China completely self-sufficient
Massive focus on increasing production

Hiding the truth: ignoring the famine
•Commune leaders versus peasants' interests
•Appointment (and promotion) of commune leaders was from
the central system
•Exaggerating production yield in order to please the superior
•Hiding the truth that people had no food from the central
government
An unprecedented disaster which led to the country being

gripped by famine
Estimated between 20 and 43 million people died
Peasants’ reaction towards the People's Commune system
•No tradition of participation in politics
•Education - lack of sense of democratisation
•No information to reveal what happened outside the village -
lack of mass
media
•Lack of strength to get organised
•Discontent could not be transferred into social movement.
•Frightened to be persecuted - lack of protection by law or by
legal system

After 1978 reforms farmers gradually allowed to sell surplus
products
“There is no formal government at the village level in China
since
according to the PRC’s constitution, the township/town
government is the most basic level of government.
“Yet there does exist an informal quasi-governmental
administration in Chinese villages.” (Zhong 2003, 159)
Chinese Communist Party Branch
Villagers Committee
According to the Constitution a Communist Party Branch is

established in any work unit or place where there are three or
more
Party members.
Theoretically a Party branch exists in every village in China
“Present at the most
elementary social
levels” Brown 2011
Branch is headed by Party Secretary with one or two
deputies
Officially elected by the general membership for a three
year term
Must be approved by higher Party organizations
Main decision making body

All major decisions are made by
the party secretary
Recruitment of new members
Final authority of financial matters
Economic and Agricultural
cooperatives that were already in
existence during the commune era
Huaxi, Jiangsu ‘the richest village in
China’ - Party Secretary Hu Renbao
Villagers Committee

Three to Six Members
Since the later 1980s these committees have been
elected by the villagers
“Originally a grassroots uprising without government
sanction in two Guangxi Province counties” (Zhong
2003, 163)
The Organic Law of Village Committees sets the rules and
regulations under
which the Chinese villagers may govern their villages as well as
terms and
conditions for village elections.
After a trial implementation in 1987 the Organic Law of Village
Committees
was fully adopted in 1998 by the National People’s Congress of

China.
Article 2 “The villagers committee is the
primary mass organization of self-government,
in which the villagers manage their own affairs,
educate themselves and serve their own needs
and in which election is conducted, decision
adopted, administration maintained and
supervision exercised by democratic means.
The villagers committee shall manage the
public affairs and public welfare
undertakings of the village, mediate disputes
among the villagers, help maintain public
order, and convey the villagers' opinions and

demands and make suggestions to the
people's government.
Article 3 The primary organization of the Communist Party of
China in the
countryside shall carry out its work in accordance with the
Constitution of the
Communist Party of China, playing its role as a leading nucleus;
and, in accordance
with the Constitution and laws, support the villagers and ensure
that they carry out
self-government activities and exercise their democratic rights
directly.

Article 4 The people's government of a
township, a nationality township or a
town shall guide, support and help the
villagers committees in their work, but
may not interfere with the affairs that
lawfully fall within the scope of the
villagers self-government.
http://www.china.org.cn/china/Legislat
ionsForm2001-2010/2011-
02/12/content_21907260.htm
http://www.china.org.cn/china/LegislationsForm2001-
2010/2011-02/12/content_21907260.htm
2010/2011-02/12/content_21907260.htm
2010/2011-02/12/content_21907260.htm
2010/2011-02/12/content_21907260.htm
2010/2011-02/12/content_21907260.htm

2010/2011-02/12/content_21907260.htm
Seminar Question
How successful has the experiment in
village democracy been and can it be
replicated at other levels of government?
Participation in Politics
“We must uphold Marxism, firm up
and further build the ideal of
Communism and a shared ideal of

socialism with Chinese
characteristics, and nurture and
practice core socialist values”,
Xi told the opening of the 19
th
National Party Congress (NPC)
“Any drifting away from or
betraying Marxism will lead to
the Party's losing its soul and
direction as it moves forward”
- Xi 2017
‘Rule by Virtue’

“We should strengthen persistently the
construction of a socialist legal system and
govern the country according to law in the
course of building socialism with Chinese
characteristics and developing a socialist
market economy; meanwhile we should
strengthen persistently the construction of a
socialist ethics and govern the country by
virtue”
- Jiang Zemin 2001
Political legitimacy is the popular acceptance of an authority
A recognition that something is right and proper
For Max Weber there are three types of legitimacy:

Traditional
Charismatic
Rational-Legal
Traditional Legitimacy
Derives from societal custom and habit that
emphasis the authority of tradition
Monarchy or Tribalism
Charismatic Legitimacy

Ideas and Personal Charisma of the
leader charms and psychologically
dominates the people of society
Rational-Legal Legitimacy
Derives from a system of institutional
procedure – government institutions establish
and enforce law and order in the public
interest – relies on trust
Charismatic, traditional or legal?

Legal or traditional?
Ways of Legitimising Government
Monarch – the Divine Right of Kings
establishes the political Legitimacy
In China – The Mandate of Heaven
天命 tian ming
Sizong,
Constitutionalism
The Law as supreme over the
private will - Checks and
Balances

Fascism
Fascism based its political legitimacy on
arguments of traditional authority and
philosophically denying the political
legitimacy of elected governments
Communism
Legacy derives from having won a civil war or
revolution
Communist parties base their legitimacy of their
rule and government upon the scientific nature
of Marxism

Leninism
The democratic organisation of a
revolutionary vanguard party, and the
achievement of a dictatorship of the
proletariat, as political prelude to the
establishment of socialism
Socialism
The social relations of socialism are
characterized by the working-class
effectively owning the means of
production and the means of their
livelihood, either through
cooperative enterprises or by public
ownership and self management,

Market Socialism
Market socialism differs from non-
market socialism in that the market
mechanism is utilized for the allocation
of capital goods and the means of
production
Democracy in China
According to the Carter Institute by
2008 more than 900 million
Chinese citizens had exercised the
right to vote

‘Multi - Party Co-operation’
China's constitution enshrines
the Communist Party's long-
term "leading" role in
government, though it allows
the existence of various other
political parties under what is
calls a "multi-party
cooperation system".
“The CPC is the sole party exercising political leadership in this
system of multi-party
cooperation.
“Organizationally independent, the CPC and the democratic

parties are totally equal
under the Constitution, but politically, the latter are subject to
the leadership of the
former.
“The leading role of the CPC has been generally accepted by
various parties and people
across the country after decades of practice.
“The CPC's leadership over other parties features political
leadership focusing on
political principles, political orientation and major policy
decisions.”
Source China Daily September 29 2007
“Second, under the leadership of the CPC, the democratic
parties maintain close cooperative ties with the CPC
politically.

“Though a ruling party, the CPC does not arrogate political
power to itself. In a general sense, the democratic parties
exist neither as political opposition forces nor as parties out
of office that pit their wits against the ruling party like those
in multi-party countries.
The relationship between these parties and the
CPC is based on political cooperation rather than
political competition aimed at assuming State
power.
In this cooperative political relationship, the CPC
is at the helm of the State while the other parties
jointly participate in the administration of State
affairs.

“In a democratic system with parties that
alternate in power, there is no assurance that
promising new ventures will be maintained or
expanded, which in turn means less incentive
to experiment and innovate in the policy
arena”
- Daniel A Bell The Atlantic May 2015
China's eight non-Communist parties had more
than 600,000 members.
Approx. 140, 000 of those members had been
elected as deputies to people's congresses at
various levels.

More than 8, 000 of them held leading posts in
governmental and judicial departments above
county-level.
Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese
Kuomintang
Left-leaning
The party claims to be the true heir of Sun Yat-Sen's
legacy.
It has approx 100,000 members
Has second highest number of seats in the People's
Political Consultative Conference (30%).

China Democratic League
Originally a league of pro-democracy parties.
Approx. 130,000 members, mainly middle-
level and senior intellectuals.
Prof Fei Xiaotong
China Democratic National
Construction Association
Entrepreneurs from the
manufacturing, financial or
commercial industries, in both
private and state sectors

Approx 70,000 members
Prof Zhou Hanmin, Vice
Chairman
China Association for Promoting
Democracy
Intellectuals, mostly in the education,
technology and publishing sectors.
Approx 65,000 members Yang Junqi
Chinese Peasants' and Workers'
Democratic Party
Approx 65,00 mmebers

Mostly work work in the fields of
public health, culture and education,
science and technology
Sang Guowei
Zhigongdang of China
Returned overseas Chinese, relatives of overseas
Chinese, and noted figures and scholars who have
overseas ties
Approx 15,000 members.
Focus on ‘re-unification of China’
Wang Gang
Jiusan Society

Mostly intellectuals in the fields of science,
technology, education, culture and medicine.
Approx 68,000 members Han Qide
Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League
Approx 1,500 members
Mostly from Taiwan but who now reside on the
mainland
Favours ‘One Country-Two Ststems’
Lin Wenyi
Illegal Parties

China Democratic Party
Generally recognized to have been formed by former student
leaders from 1989 protests
"If a group is designed to negate the leadership of the
Communist Party,
then it will not be allowed to exist.” Li Peng
Declared illegal in 1998
Union of Chinese Nationalists
Supports the aims of the original KMT
Banned in 2006
Zhi Xian Party

Founded by supporters of Bo Xilai
Banned in 2013
"Constitutional monarchy, imperial restoration,
parliamentarism, a multi-party system
and a presidential system, we considered them, tried them, but
none worked,“ Xi
Jinping April 2014 in a speech to the College of Europe
China could not copy a political system or
development model from other countries "because it
would not fit us and it might even lead to catastrophic
consequences", Xi added.

"The fruit may look the same, but the taste is quite
different," he said.
“Over 2,000 years ago, there was an era of great intellectual
accomplishments in China,
which is referred to as "the period of one hundred masters and
schools of thought,"
“Great thinkers such as Laozi, Confucius and Mozi, to name just
a few, explored a wide
range of topics from the universe to the Earth, and from
relations between man and
nature to those amongst human beings and between individuals
and society, Xi said.
"These values and teachings still carry a profound impact on
Chinese people's way of
life today, underpinning the unique value system in the Chinese
outlook of the world, of
society, and of life itself.”

The Communist Party's influential weekly journal Qiushi
(Seeking
Truth) wrote in 2014 recent that there was no such thing as
"universal
values“.
“The West has been harping on about freedom, democracy and
human
rights for some 200 years, and has nothing new to add, the
magazine
wrote in an editorial.
"You know if the shoe fits only if you try it on for yourself.
Only the Chinese people have the right to say whether China's
development path is correct," it wrote.
Mill Locke Kant

Provides a very good overview of the main themes of the
module and demonstrates how your understanding has evolved
throughout.
Engages very well with the material covered and demonstrates a
strong understanding of the themes covered and the different
approaches taken.
Demonstrates how the readings and the lecture content helped
you to engage in your own critical analysis.
A good example of reflecting on your own process of learning.
There could be some further reflection on the readings and how
they impacted on your learning over the module.
At times sentence structure and writing are unclear. Would
benefit from some further editing.
Mark 68

Reflection learning journal
Before I read the relative articles for ET 4013 CN, I did not
realize my lack of academic knowledge about Chinese politic
system such as vertical (tiao) and horizontal (kuai) mechanism
which explains some common issues emerging between central
government and local government. Why is corruption too
difficult to eradicate in an one-party system? Why does civil
unrest from grassroots remain as a stubborn problem in
contemporary China? How does central-provincial relations
cause the income inequality in different regions of China? To
answer these questions, some intra-party politic system should
be mentioned and discussed. Dr David O’Brien has established a
big picture of contemporary Chinese politic system for us with
expounding some key concepts such as Chinese anti-corruption
diploma and some inner rules of CCP. Dr Wang Zhengxu tends
to find out the root cause of some specific local political
phenomenons by focusing on central-local relations and Chinese
civil society in grassroots. Besides, some key readings such as
“Local government and politics in China: challenges from blew”
(Zhong, 2003) and “Ballox box China: grassroots democracy in
the final major one-party state” (Brown, 2011) have provided
me a broad while specific vision to examine the rules of CCP
from top-bottom system.
Based on numerous historical researches on Chinese civil
society and politic system, the common statement tends to deny
the existence of democracy in Chinese society (Brown, 2011).
However, with more and more researches studying on Chinese
village election mechanism, the consideration of rethinking
civil society or democracy in Chinese context is brought up
again. Influenced by “no democracy in china” statement, I
always keep a suspicious attitude when discussing Chinese civil
society or democracy issues. Besides, 1989 Tiananmen square

event has left me a deep impression on China’s dark politics
especially the arbitrary crackdown on protests by central
government. On the contrary, responding measures adopted to
deal with protests by local government rekindle my confidence
to embrace some slimsy democracy in grassroots. For instance,
several anti-PX (anti-pparaxylene) protests such as Xiamen
protest is generally regarded as one important step heading in
civil participation for Chinese local government (Cody, 2007;
Tang, 2008). These information has built up my cognition on
Chinese democracy: central government suppress civil liberty
while local government does better on this issue because of
their direct contact with grassroots. However, a dramatic
reversal happens after I attend this module and read some
relevant readings. According to Zhong (2003), central
government always delegates local government to maintain
stability and defuse popular discontent in appropriate way
rather than sharpening contradiction. While local government
often choose to strengthen their discretion to make profits for
themselves. But why does this kind of possibility exist?
Central-local relations may provide the answer. When Dr David
O’Brien firstly mentioned about the disparity between the party
and the regions, I feel confused because I never before linked
the Chinese unbalanced development between regions to top-
down system. Zhou’s (2009) article then has solved my doubt
in this part. He mentioned about the joint mechanism by lower
authorities to poll together several local authorities in order to
avoid inspection work from central government. That is to say,
even if local officials corrupt or misconduct, central
government can hardly decide to punish them since lower
authorities will unite to deceive central investigators. Because
of this, appeal system becomes the most important mechanism
for Chinese citizens especially for grassroots to make their
political participation (Cai, 2004). However, it is still hard for
ordinary people to petition because of the drain on manpower
and material resources. All these difficulties increase the
probability of civil unrest such as protest, which surprises me

because I thought local protests reflect increasing democratic
factors rather than misconducts of local government.
Different from my impression on Tiananmen square event,
central government restricted violent repression or suppression
on smooth protest and non-anti-regime activities hold by
citizens (Cai,2008). However, local government develops their
right of discretion may be because of their absolute authority in
local and the blocked top-down command system. As Dr Wang
Zhengxu introduces, when citizens choose to revolt their unfair
treatment beyond endurance, local government tends to ignore
their valid request. It finally turns out as collective protests or
unrest despite harmonious society advocated by central
government. Some protests lead to an happy ending such as
Xiamen anti-PX protests. Jointly signed boycott by more than
100 members of Chinese People’s Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC) successfully exposed the potential harm of
this chemical plant project in the public view, which led a
large-scale protests by Xiamen citizens and finally forced local
government to relocate the project (Cody, 2007). Direct
intervention of CPPCC has broken the traditional obstacle
hindered between central government and local citizens. But can
this pattern be replicated as an official system? Compared to
Xiamen peaceful protest, other protests may lead to bloody
suppression, such as Maoming protest and Wukan protest.
Without direct intervention by superior departments, local
government seems to be able to suppress protests under the
pressure of vox populi. As Dr David O’Brien mentioned, the
disparity of different regions in China is not only the economic
one. Some places such as Beijing, local government is more
afraid of causing discontented for local citizens, since it is easy
for central government to master the situation and manage the
local government. While in other cases, central government may
feel weak to control the local government because of the long
distance and those countless barriers in-between. Connecting
with class discussion, I found that Hu kou (registered permanent

residence) reflects not only the inequality in education, income
and social welfare, but also to some extent the the degree of
democratic because when something bad happened to you, you
can hardly fight against the local government if the “the
emperor is too far to handle the situation”. It may also reflect a
fact that this kind of local-central relations can hardly result in
democratic development because central government is too
authoritative to challenge while local government tends to
exceed their authorities without central permission and the
local-central relations remain problematic.
Dr Wang Zhengxu then introduced the tiao-kuai system for us to
further interpret the intra-party system. Basically, tiao explains
the top-down relations that in a vertical level, lower-level
department should be subordinate to higher one. For example,
provincial tax department is subordinate to central tax
department. While kuai represents a horizontal level that all
different departments should be subordinate to the local host
party organization (Guo, 2014). This mechanism may cause
problems when a certain department received two different
commands separately from higher-level department and local
host party organization, it will be caught in a dilemma
especially when the higher department stays same level with
host party organization. More seriously thing is, kuai always
functions more effectively than tiao. Dr David O’Brien in his
“corruption” lecture then has mentioned about the hardship of
anti-corruption. In spite of Xi Jingping’s remarkable swatting
tiger movement, his fly-kicking behavior encountered with some
intra-party difficulties. Linking this phenomenon and tiao-kuai
system, after read some relevant readings, I got to understand
what David called “intra-party” barriers. One of the most well-
known intra-party supervision mechanism, the Discipline
Inspection Commission (DIC) has experienced as a series of
changes since it established. Recently in 2014, dual relationship
system was reformed to vertical management, which means
higher-level DIC can directly manage the lower-level one (ibid).

However, actual dual relationship still remains because of its
deep rootedness, which means exactly as the name of “dual
relationship”, lower-level DIC is still led by both same-level
Party Committee and high-level DIC. This kind of tiao-kuai
system to a great extent prevents intra-party supervision
because it is the Party Committee rather than high-level DIC
who decides the income and promotion of DIC members. This
problematic mechanism fully demonstrated that “kuai” functions
more effective than “tiao”. Or in turn, it is this kind of tiao-kuai
system which makes the intra-party supervision so difficult to
implement, and increases the difficulty of anti-corruption
movement. This reminds me of the necessary to build a more
rational supervision mechanism inside party. However, David
lifted this thought into a higher level: is the one-party system
the root for the deficiency of supervision mechanism? Or can
one-party system eradicate the corruption? This question
reminds me of Action’s well-known saying cited in Venter
(2015), “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts
absolutely.” Contrary to Xi Jingping’s confidence anti-
corruption movement, questionable authen may always exist
accompanying with the existence of the powerful one-party
system.
To conclude, ET 4013 CN module has provided me some new
points of view rethinking Chinese politics systems, including
central-local relations pattern such as potentially problematic
tiao-kuai system. My previous cognition about central
government and local government on suppressing civil
participation such as protests has been subverted because I
found that different from Tiananman square event, central
government tend to appease complaints through complying with
the aspirations of people while local government hehaves
conversely. Additionally, based on the lecture content of Dr
David O’Brien and Dr Wang Zhengxu, I found the current tiao-
kuai system problematic when dealing with anti-graft issues
because the investigator is to some extent subordinate to those

who under inspection, which is ridiculous for this supervision
mechanism to function well. One-party system is also criticized
by some scholars because of its absolute power which usually
serves as a hotbed of corruption. Government and politics in
contemporary China seems to be an everlasting learning class
for me because every time I can update my cognition on the
same issues and that it is an exciting study for doing researches
in.
Word Account: 1634
Reference:
Brown, K. (2011). Ballot Box China: grassroots democracy in
the final major one-party state (p. 40). London and New York:
Zed Books.
Cai, Y. (2004). Managed participation in China. Political
Science Quarterly, 119(3), 425-451.
Cai, Y. (2008). Local governments and the suppression of
popular resistance in China. The China Quarterly, 193, pp. 24-
42.
Cody, E. (2007). Text Messages Giving Voice to Chinese.
Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016, from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/06/27/AR2007062702962.html
Guo, X. (2014). Controlling Corruption in the Party: China's
Central Discipline Inspection Commission. The China
Quarterly, 219, 597.
Tang, H. (2008). Xiamen PX: a turning point?. chinadialogue.

Retrieved 18 December 2016, from
https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/1626-
Xiamen-PX-a-turning-point-
Venter, J. (2015). " Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power
corrupts absolutely": South Africa 2015: magsmisbruik/abuse of
power. Word and Action= Woord en Daad, 54(428), 19-22
Zhong, Y. (2003). Local government and politics in China:
Challenges from below. ME Sharpe. pp. 3-4
Zhou, X. (2009). The institutional logic of collusion among
local governments in China. Modern China.
2
Provides a good overview of the main themes of the module and
demonstrates how your understanding has evolved.
Demonstrates a good understanding of the material covered and
shows that you have engaged critically with the topics.
Would benefit from some further reflection on how your
thinking has changed as a result of the module.
There is not sufficient engagement or reflection on the course
literature however. You need to demonstrate which readings
shaped your thinking and how you critically engaged with them.
There is too much focus on the overview and not enough on
your own critical reflection of what you have learned and how
you learned it.

Joining this module has been an eye-opener, at least to me
personally. Prior to this, I have no knowledge in the field of
politics. This module served well in building a solid foundation
for me in understanding the political situation in China. The
future direction of CCP has sparked my interest in the politics
in China, seeing that it has done so well in leading China to
becoming the economy powerhouse China is today. This essay
reflects on my previous research, providing my personal view
on the future of China’s political position.
To sum it all up, China’s success today is mainly contributed to
the economy reform pushed forward by Deng Xiaoping. Under
the reform, China had undergone unprecedented growth
compared to the world in modern history. At sight, it might be
due to the large population and natural resource China has.
However, there are so many factors contributed to this that
essentially made this possible. first, China had been able to
benefit from implementing what works best in her neighbouring
countries such as Taiwan, South Korea. In doing so, China
could accelerate economy growth by choosing the shortest route
of development. Also, China had just passed the great famine
right before reform, which drives CCP to either adapt or die out.
In addition to that, attempt to limit on the population growth by
pushing forward both ‘later, longer, fewer“ and the highly
controversial one child policy has also proven to have
accelerated China’s economy take off by 10 years shown in
Yu’s research (2010). Furthermore, gearing towards

manufacturing based in China has also proven as better growth
drive compared to India that emphasized on service industry.
These are some of the main factors that accounted for the 3
decades rapid growth in China.
Yet, in the midst of the 3 decades of development, corruption
has become very rampant. In the early stage, Hu Yaobang’s
attempt to flush out corrupted officials by investigating the
finance of the high ranking’s children in his anti-corruption
campaign, aiming to eradicate corruption, has angered many of
the officials and even Deng Xiaoping. Eventually, he was
pushed towards his downfall. Shortly after his death, comes the
brutal massacre in Tiananmen that many argued to be the fall of
CCP. However, this is not the case seen in today’s China where
CCP thrived in maintaining control over China. This showed
Deng does not tolerate in risking CCP’s control over China even
if it means accepting corruption to be practiced in the party. As
a result, much questionable fortune had amassed among the
government officials and their close relatives and friends.
Again, after many years, Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign
has deemed successful in eradicating corruption. However, this
is only measured by the amount of people arrested, and riches
confiscated. The drive behind Xi’s campaign is very debatable,
seeing that CCP’s survival is put above all else compared to
Hu’s campaign, which aimed to push forward a clean,
transparent, democratic government. After all, Xi’s family
fortune is amounted up to billions in value and many
princelings have been given high-ranking position in state-
owned enterprises allowing them to be in control of billions in
asset (Kwong, 2013). In my opinion, Xi’s attempt in balancing
between soothing public anger and ensure the survival of the
Party might backfire when internal conflict rises among the
party cadres. Question lies on whom to be put on the sacrificial
tomb when the time comes. Would the survival of the party be
in conflict with the campaign, risking the exposure of the
vulnerable side of the party, ultimately putting China’s control

on the line?
Today, China has never been more peaceful, secure, stable,
richer and many more that accounts the success tied with
contribution of CCP. Some would even go to the extent and
state that authoritarian regime has made this possible in China.
Yet, if this is so, China would have succeeded years ago.
Authoritarianism has nothing to do with China’s success.
Rather, CCP’s neutral stance in allocating resources among
social and political groups that has boost China’s rapid
economy (Yang, 2011). So, what role does authoritarian play in
China’s development? In my view, authoritarian approach has
been used as a tool to push forward controversial policies such
as the one child policy to accelerate growth or better town
planning such as rellocation of residents to make way for urban
development. In the past, Deng has transformed the legitimacy
of CCP to link with economy performance. Thus, explains many
of the policies to ensure highest possible economic output.
However, as economic growth slows down, the public has
started questioning the CCP’s competence to continue to rule
China. In recent years, Xi Jinping has emphasized on the unity
of the party, maintaining harmony in the society. Yet, the media
is being repressed even further. More journalist being
imprisoned. Internet crackdown has been rampant as well. The
effectiveness of these movements to enable CCP maintaining in
control are very debatable, especially among the younger
generations that have been exposed to the outside world.
Would democracy be better in place in current China? I believe
so. Looking at Wukan’s village election phenomenon has
proved it possible. Eventhough it was a rough start in Wukan,
having elected some officials that are also corrupted, given that
corruption was the first driving force for Wukan’s strong
presistence in demanding for a democratic system for their
village. It was quickly weeded out, as seen in the recent election
in Wukan. This would have assisted Xi in his anti-corruption

movement. What I can see as the biggest problem in current
China is actually the legitimacy of CCP. What is the basis of
CCP’s legitimacy? Linking economy performance with
legitimacy is too rigid as there are so many other aspects needed
to be taken into consideration. The government is in place to
serve the people and not to rule them. Enacting democratic
reforms does not necessarily mean to giving up on control. One
good example would be Singapore’s PAP, which was often cited
as a authoritarian democratic country. Since independence, PAP
had been in rule till today. Yet, Singapore’s government is
considered top in many aspects among the world especially in
zero tolerance in corruption. I believe that CCP would be able
to do so as well. On one hand, corruption could be completely
eradicated, which is the main motive of any anti-corruption
campaign; one the other hand, CCP could further legitimate its
power, at the same time provide accountability of the party
cadres. In other words, CCP would be giving up absolute power
to be able to retain its control. In addition to that, transparency
of CCP would provide reassurance that CCP is and has always
been in line with the public’s interest. Yet, some would argue
that modern democracy has it demerits as well, seeing that the
recent election in the United States proved that one does not
need experience in the political field to be in govern, which
essentially would never happen in China where positions are
promoted internally through careful evaluation. What I am
suggesting essentially is that that CCP should enact some
degree of democratic reforms in order for China to continue
develop further and that there should be a fine line between
political party and the government body.
I realize that the CCP should have eradicated corruption at its
root, the start of rapid development during Deng’s era even at
the expense of economic growth. Failing to do so showed a
chained effect of rampant corruption around China that has
threatened even more of CCP’s ruling as public losing faith in
it.

Reference:
Kwong, (2013). Why China’s Corruption Won’t Stop. [online]
The Nation. Available at:
https://www.thenation.com/article/why-chinas-corruption-wont-
stop/ [Accessed 10 Dec. 2016].
Yu, Z. (2010). Demographic Dynamics and Economic Take-
Off. Chinese Economy, 44(1), pp.72-90.
Yang, Y. (2011). Authoritarianism not key to China’s economic
success | East Asia Forum. [online] East Asia Forum. Available
at: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2011/11/20/authoritarianism-
not-key-to-china-s-economic-success/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2016].
IIRP Tips on Writing Reflection Papers
A reflection paper is not a summary of the course readings or a
stream of

conscious mind dump on paper.
Main themes
Readings
Integrate
Effects on:
Thinking
Practice
Classroom
Experience
1. As the diagram suggests, a reflection paper is your
identification of the main
themes of the readings integrated with your classroom
experience and how both
affect your thinking and practice.
2. A reflection paper is your chance to add your thoughts and
analysis to what
you have read and experienced.
3. A reflection paper is meant to illustrate your understanding
of the material and
how it affects your ideas and possible practice in future.
4. Begin by jotting down some of the reading material and class
experiences that
stand out in your mind. Decide why they stand out to you.
5. It may be helpful to use the restorative questions to generate
some of your
thoughts and feelings about the course experience.

6. Using the first person singular (“I”), relate the readings and
classes to your
previous knowledge and experience.
7. Consider if and how what you have read and learned changes
your thinking
and might affect your practice in both personal and professional
situations.
8. Review the readings and class notes to be sure you’ve
included all the
relevant information you can and made all the connections you
can.
9. Give your reflection paper structure with an opening
paragraph, main body,
and conclusion.
10. It may be helpful to write the body of the paper first by
using Steps 4-7, and
then decide what your opening paragraph should say. The
opening paragraph
may be brief, only a sentence or two, but it should offer some
overall statement
of your perspective based on what you’ve learned (e.g., Before I
read the articles
for YC/ED 501, I had never considered that I was an
authoritative supervisor, that
is, someone who gives my staff firm direction but little
support.). Then you could
go on to describe which readings or class experiences affected
your thinking and
why. You could disagree with some of the readings or ideas.
The conclusion of

IIRP/4/6/10MM/BR/SO
your reflection may also be brief (e.g., I realize that I must
learn how to be more
supportive to get the best from my staff.). Or it could be
uncertain (e.g., I don’t
agree with everything I learned but I am going to consider using
some of the
practices in future to see if they change my office
environment.).
11. Include in-text references and a reference page for any
materials you cite
using APA citation formatting.

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