Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Germany
Hong Kong
USA
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Other / International
With nearly 72 years in power, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) celebrated 100 years since its founding on July 1. As per China’s president Xi Jinping – who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party -, CCP has earned its dominance in making China a one-party state, supported China’s rapid economic growth.
The CCP is one of the largest political parties in the world with over 90 million members, constituting over 6.5% population of China. The regime has made decisions that impact the world on a regular basis and grown centrality within the global political landscape. The party’s influence among other global organizations, like the United Nations, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, has also been growing, with many western as well as neighboring nations being heavily reliant on China for their economic growth.
Xi Jinping driving a wide range of policy initiatives
Highlighting the regime’s achievements to an audience of 70,000 in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on July 1, Xi pledged to ensure China’s rejuvenation ahead of the centenary of Communist rule in 2049.
In the hour-long speech, Xi pledged that social stability would be ensured in Hong Kong while protecting China’s security and sovereignty. He underlined that the reunification of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment of the party. He warned that foreign forces attempting to bully the nation “will have their heads bashed bloody against the Great Wall of Steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people.”
As per economists, the CCP regime has survived far longer than critics have predicted, due to the shift in party’s ideologies and recent policies, under Xi’s leadership. The party plans to arm itself with ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.
Supporting nationalistic visions of China as the number one power in the world, Xi has pressured on his ‘Chinese Dream’ that comprises achievement of two centenaries – a moderately well-off society by the CCP’s centenary in 2021, and a ‘strong, democratic, civilised, harmonious and modern socialist country’ by the centenary in 2049.
With sights set on the 2049 milestone, Xi and other top party officials have also proclaimed foreign trade to be a vital component of China’s economic development, launching the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
One other initiative in persuit to make China the world’s largest economy is the ‘dual circulation’ economic strategy: to make China less dependent on other economies while making them more dependent on China. ‘Make in China’ is targeting innovative fifth and sixth-generation technology and also encouraged new urbanization and zonal development programs.
Beijing officials have idealized Xi Jinping as a visionary statesman, on par with Mao and Deng. They believe that his autocratic leadership approach is superior to Western-style democracy. The CCP will hold its 20th National Party Congress next year, which will decide whether Xi, who took power in late 2012, will hold onto power beyond the two terms of his recent predecessors.
Unfavorable views of China globally
While the CCP is celebrating the “new China”, the country’s standing in the world is declining. According to a recent study by Pew Research Center, the majority of people across 17 developed economies that have been surveyed hold a negative view of China. Eight-in-ten or more think the Chinese government does not respect the personal freedoms of its people.
Most recently, governments around the world have criticized China over human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. July 1 is also the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China in 1997. And just over one year ago, late on June 30, 2020, Beijing had imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, under its arrangement Beijing called ‘one country, two systems’.
Reacting to Xi’s speech on July 1, the Taiwanese government said it was determined to defend the island’s sovereignty and democracy, urging the CCP to abandon its military intimidation and dictatorial approach.
Furthermore the Pew Research study found that only few have confidence in Xi Jinping to do the right thing in world affairs, reflecting what is happening in foreign relations.
Firstly, China’s BRI initiatives have been under fire for a while due to transparency and sustainability concerns. The US directly called out China for “predatory economic practices.” The G7 just unveiled a competing initiative in June, the “Build Back Better World” (B3W).
Secondly, there seem to be ever-rising trade tensions. With the US, China has been locked in an escalating trade battle since 2018. Another trade war front is with Australia, i.a. over barley and wine.
Thirdly, CCP’s top-down governance has led to accusations of excessive use of advanced digital and surveillance technology. Not only in the own country, but also overseas. Some China-based technology giants, including Huawei Technologies, face product and 5G wireless network project bans in some countries.
Fourthly, China’s government has been at the center of criticism from all over the world for the handling of Covid-19. There is still international debate about where the virus originated – from a laboratory or a local market in Wuhan. Furthermore, critics suggest that the government is using recent initiatives towards international communities for aid and cooperation, to demonstrate the China’s superiority, under the leadership of Xi.
China – economic superpower
However, China’s economic strength is unmistakable. In 2020, the country was the only major economy to achieve positive growth and analysts widely expect China to overtake the US and become the world’s largest economy by the next decade.
The country is the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter, and home to the greatest number of Fortune 500 companies. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that within a few years, China will account for over a fifth of world GDP.
The latest gross domestic product (GDP) data showed that China enjoyed strong momentum towards the end of 2020, due to its ability to contain the pandemic. According to Wind Information data, China’s GDP expanded by 2.3% last year to 101.6 tn yuan, which is about $14.7 tn. Meanwhile, the US reported that 2020 GDP contracted by 2.3% to $20.93 tn. This puts China’s economy at only $6.2 trn behind the US in 2020, as against $7.1 tn in 2019.
