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Democracy in China

For democracy in Taiwan, see Elections in Taiwan.

A large crowd of protesters, journalists, police and spectators gathered in front of a McDonald's restaurant in Wangfujing, Beijing as part of the 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests

Ideological debate over democracy in China has existed in Chinese politics since the 19th century. Chinese scholars, thinkers, and policy-makers have debated about democracy, an idea which was first imported by Western colonial powers but which some argue also has connections to classic Chinese thinking. Starting in the mid-eighteenth century, many Chinese argued about how to deal with Western culture. Though Chinese Confucians were initially opposed to Western modes of thinking, it became clear that aspects of the West were appealing. Industrialization gave the West an economic and military advantage. The Qing dynasty's defeats in the Opium Wars compelled a segment of Chinese politicians and intellectuals to rethink their notion of cultural and political superiority.[1]

Democracy entered the Chinese consciousness because it was the form of government used in the West, potentially responsible for its industrial, economic and military advancements. A segment of Chinese scholars and politicians became persuaded that democratization and industrialization were imperative for a competitive China. In response, a number of scholars resisted the idea, saying democracy and Westernization had no place in traditional Chinese culture. Liang Shuming's opinion was most popular, holding that democracy and traditional Chinese society were completely incompatible, hence China's only choice was either wholesale Westernization or complete rejection of the West.[2] The debate centered on the philosophical compatibility of traditional Chinese Confucian beliefs and the technologies of the West.[3]

China is not a liberal or representative democracy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government state that China is a socialist democracy and a people's democratic dictatorship.[4] Under Xi Jinping, China is also termed a whole-process people's democracy.[5][6] Many foreign and some domestic observers categorize China as an authoritarian one-party state, with some saying it has shifted to neoauthoritarianism.[7] Some characterize it as a dictatorship.[8]

The constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the CCP constitution state that its form of government is "people's democratic dictatorship".[4] The state constitution also holds that China is a one-party state that is governed by the CCP. This gives the CCP a total monopoly of political power. All political opposition is illegal. Currently, there are eight minor political parties in China other than the CCP that are legal, but all have to accept CCP primacy to exist.[9] Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are severely restricted by the government.[10][11] Censorship is widespread and dissent is harshly punished in the country.[12]

  1. ^ Ham, Chae-bong (2004). "The Ironies of Confucianism". Journal of Democracy. 15 (3): 93–107. doi:10.1353/jod.2004.0046. ISSN 1086-3214. S2CID 56257227.
  2. ^ Alitto, Guy. "Eastern and Western Cultures." The Last Confucian: Liang Shu-ming and the Chinese Dilemma of Modernity. Berkeley: University of California, 1979. 85.
  3. ^ Keping, Yu (2009). Democracy Is a Good Thing: Essays on Politics, Society, and Culture in Contemporary China. Brookings Institution Press. pp. 115–117. ISBN 978-0-8157-2218-2. JSTOR 10.7864/j.ctt6wph96.
  4. ^ a b Bose, Arun (February 1995). "Mao Zedong and the People's Democratic Dictatorship". China Report. 31 (1): 67–85. doi:10.1177/000944559503100104. ISSN 0009-4455.
  5. ^ Mattingly, Daniel C. (5 December 2019). The Art of Political Control in China. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-99791-8. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Whole-Process Democracy". China Media Project. 23 November 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  7. ^ Perlez, Jane (13 November 2017). "Behind the Scenes, Communist Strategist Presses China's Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  8. ^ Heurlin, Christopher (27 October 2016). Responsive Authoritarianism in China: Land, Protests, and Policy Making. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-10780-8. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  9. ^ Wong, Alan (10 September 2018). "Is China a democracy? A long (and better) answer". Inkstone News. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  10. ^ "China: Freedom on the Net 2022 Country Report". Freedom House. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  11. ^ China: Events of 2020, Human Rights Watch, 13 January 2021, retrieved 16 December 2022
  12. ^ Bradsher, Keith; Myers, Steven Lee (7 December 2021). "Ahead of Biden's Democracy Summit, China Says: We're Also a Democracy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.

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