When discussing the political and economic development of China in
comparison to the political and economic development of the United States one
must first acknowledge that from a US perspective the cultural reality is that
China has been largely demonized while the US has been largely glamorized. If the intention is to engage in an accurate assessment
of China’s development, then one must thoroughly engage the process of critical
thinking. Stark realities must be
acknowledged for both countries that strip away, as much as possible, the distorting
veils of evil or heavenliness that might tend to bias our evaluation. To accomplish the task of an honest and
critical comparison, the first order of business will be a brief review of the
political and cultural histories of the two nations. The histories will be followed by an overview
of economic development in both countries, with a focus on the period since
World War II. Finally, the question will
be asked “How Free is Free?” This
question refers to numbers imprisoned in each country as a measure of “freedom”
and economic disparities that are widening as a result of “free” market
expansion.
Historical Patterns in Culture
and Politics
For many centuries China came under the rule of dynasties. Changes in dynastic order occurred sometimes
occurred within a dynasty and would result in changes in the ruling family,
with little change in political policy or structure. Thus, there could be a degree of change while
the dynasty itself is maintained. On the
other hand, a change to a new dynasty would most often involve violent conflict
and sweeping changes in political structure.
The Chinese dynasties followed the Confucius principle that emphasized
the restoration of an ideal system of governance when the actual practice had
slipped into something that was far from what was desired (Starr, 2010). The result was a cyclical historical pattern
that sought to reach and maintain ideals of governance and prosperity. The last dynasty (Qing) collapsed in
1911. The next 38 years proved to be
very tumultuous for the Chinese people and was filled with war and bloodshed
stemming from internal conflicts among those vying for power after the collapse
of the Qing Dynasty and from external attacks, especially from Japan (Starr,
2010).
The dust began to settle in 1949, under the leadership of Mao
Zedong. Although China was now under a
very different political structure under Mao and the Communist Party, the
principles of Confucius relating to governance seemed to reemerge. Consistent with Confucius principles, Mao’s
goal was to establish an ideal government that capable of bringing stability
and prosperity to the masses. However,
instead of identifying Confucius as the foundation of his ideas, as in dynastic
rule, Mao cited the writings of Marx and Engels as the foundation for the
development of a Communist China. Changes
in China’s political and economic policy since 1949 also seem consistent with
the Confucius notion of reaching for ideal governance. Clearly, economic changes that have taken
place in the last thirty years are not at all consistent with the philosophy of
Marx and Engels. China’s move to
increased privatization and market economy structures are actually a
contradiction of the course of the socio-economic development that would have
been predicted by Marxists.
The history of the political and economic development in the
United States is in stark contrast to China.
The US originated as a number of British colonies in a foreign
land. The colonies operated under a
market based economy but saw itself at odds with the indigenous peoples whose
land they were now occupying. The
general approach was to expand control of territory via treaty and military
conquest. This approached continued after the colonies became independent. While the US Constitution proclaims very high
ideals of human freedom and basic rights, the reality was that only 7% of the
white male population was permitted to vote in the first presidential
election. Most of those voting owned
human beings (mostly Africans) whom they enslaved and then profited from the
labor their slaves provided. Indigenous people were not eligible for
citizenship in the newly formed republic.
Interestingly, membership of the Chinese Communist Party as a proportion
of the entire population of China is not very different than proportion of
those eligible voters to the population of the United States at the time.
Since then the US has experienced many wars and internal
struggles. Post World War II saw an
economic boom for the White majority but intensified discrimination for African
Americans and other non-Whites. A
pivotal point of contention was actual participation in the democracy and
voting rights. In the US political power
is based on two things: financial leverage and winning elections. Thus, US history is replete with efforts to
influence (legitimately and illegitimately) the outcome of elections. Full participation in the economy of the US
has also been very restrictive throughout its history. Groups that are generally favored benefit far
more from economic development than groups that have been discriminated against.
China and the US since
World War II
For China and its more than one billion residents, the period
since World War II has been the most prosperous period in its history. Mao’s initial focus on the rural farmers and
peasants saw equalization in salaries between rural and urban dwellers (Starr,
2010). Later when economic development
stalled, Deng Xiaoping instituted economic reforms further globalized China’s
economy. The reforms, however, have had
a disproportionate impact. Urban areas,
where 45% of the population lives have benefited far more than rural areas,
where 55% live (Starr, 2010).
In the US income disparities exist between urban and rural
dwellers as well. The economic expansion
that took place after World War II was largely in urban areas. Since World War II, the US population has
shifted from being a majority living in rural areas to a majority living in
urban areas. China’s goal is to follow
this same path. In fact, all of the most
prosperous countries of the world have majority urban populations. The disparity that has stubbornly persisted
in the US is one based on ethnicity and not location. Economic statistics for African Americans as
group continue to resemble that of a Third World country than that of a
developed country. Full participation in
the economy of the US has been a serious challenge for African Americans who
continue to experience significantly lower per capita income and significantly higher
unemployment than the mainstream of America.
How Free is Free?
One of the main images involved in the demonizing of a Chinese
authoritarian regime is one involving imprisoning dissidents. On the other hand one of the images that is
glamourized about the US is the freedom to speak out against our government
without fear of reprisal or imprisonment.
The reality is not so clear cut.
Yes, there are many documented cases of arrest and imprisonment of
Chinese citizens who have spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or
Chinese government. These arrest and
imprisonment largely target those have been involved in what the CCP identifies
as threats to the political stability of the China and range from arrest after
the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 to a number of arrests and imprisonments
related to a Falun Gong peaceful protest in 1999 (Starr, 2010).
However, a closer look at international imprisonment statistics
paints a different picture when comparing the China and the US. The US ranks #1 in the rate at which it
imprisons its citizens at 716 per 100,000.
China ranks #126 with 121 persons imprisoned per 100,000. In raw numbers during 2011 the US imprisoned 2,239,751
adults. China imprisoned 1,640,000
during the same period (ICPS, 2012). In
the US when the rate is broken down by ethnic group a very disturbing picture
develops. In 2011 the rate for African
Americans imprisoned was 3,023 per 100,000.
In raw numbers that is 873,502 or 39% (Carson and Sabol, 2012). African Americans are only about 12% of the
US population. Such numbers are
sufficient to disrupt the economy of entire communities by removing a
significant number of able body males from participation. The above statistics when viewed objectively
would suggest that it is the US that has a greater problem with unfair
treatment and the restricting of freedom of its citizens.
Conclusion
We in the US often brag about our economic prosperity and economic
opportunities while belittling a country like China for its limited
opportunities, high level of poverty, and authoritarian regime. While it is undeniable that the US is a
prosperous country with much freedom, it is also true that large segments of
the population have been and continue to be denied inclusion in the prosperity
and freedom that so many brag about.
China’s traditions and priority of political stability appear to us in
the US to be almost paranoid in their implementation. Yet, China in spite of its restrictive
policies related to religious and social expression, is attempting to expand
the development of economic prosperity.
Perhaps there is something that both sides can learn from each other.
References
Carson, R. A. and Sabol, W. J. (2012). Prisoners in 2011. Bureau of Justice Statistics. U.S. Department of
Justice, Office of Justice
Programs. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p11.pdf.
International Centre for Prison Studies
(ICPS). (2012). World prison brief. Retrieved from http://www.prisonstudies.org/info/worldbrief/wpb_stats.php
Starr, J. (2010). Understanding China (3rd ed.). New York: Hill and
Wang.
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