Written by Frank Li
Today, China is modestly celebrating the 99th birthday of the CPC (Communist Party of China), with a huge centennial celebration planned next year.
Given China’s dramatic comeback over the past few decades and America’s escalating attacks on the CPC (‘Rogue attitude’: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says CCP Took), let me correctly assess the CPC not only for China, but also for the world, with a clear message to China-haters in America: attacking the CPC is attacking China, including all the Chinese people in China!
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0. What is the CPC?
Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia – Communist Party of China.
The Communist Party of China (CPC)[note 2] is the founding and ruling political party of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the second largest political party in the world. The CPC is the sole governing party within mainland China, permitting only eight other, subordinated parties to co-exist, those making up the United Front. It was founded in 1921, chiefly by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao. The party grew quickly, and by 1949 it had driven the Kuomintang (KMT)’s Nationalist Government from mainland China to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War, leading to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. It also controls the country’s armed forces, the People’s Liberation Army.
The life of the CPC can be simply divided into three periods as follows:
- 1921 – 1935: Pre-Mao era.
- 1935 – 1949: Mao‘s era to unify China.
- 1949 – Present: The People’s Republic of China.
Let me elaborate on each …
1. 1921 – 1935: Pre-Mao era
The CPC was born in 1921 as a result of both domestic developments (e.g. May Fourth Movement) and international developments (e.g. Russia’s October Revolution).
After more than one decade of hard struggle and a few rounds of leadership changes, the CPC, by 1935, had Mao Zedong as the party’s Politburo Standing Committee member and informal leader. The fortunes of the CPC started to change for the better …
2. 1935 – 1949: Mao’s era to unify China
Mao was a very skilled politician and a brilliant military leader. For example, he let the Kuomintang (aka “Nationalist Party of China”) do most of the heavy fighting against Japan throughout WWII in China (1937-1945), while nurturing and growing the red army in the “poor” northwest.
As a result, at the end of WWII, China was controlled by two major parties:
- The Kuomintang (aka “Nationalist Party of China”) led the Nationalist Government, supported by the U.S., controlled most of China, including all the major cities.
- The CPC, supported by the USSR, controlled a significant portion in the north, mostly countryside.
Both the U.S. and the USSR urged the two parties to reconcile, so as to form some kind of parliamentary system. But Mao wanted no part in it – He wanted to rule China, in its entirety!
The Chinese Civil War ensued. The CPC won the war, kicking the Kuomintang out to Taiwan.
How could the CPC have won such a huge war in just three short years?
Aside from Mao’s brilliance as a military leader, the CPC fought for the poor (aka “proletarians”), while the Kuomintang fought for the rich (aka “bourgeois”).
Chen Cheng, a leader of the Nationalist Government, said it the best:
“We fought for an ideal, but they fought for the people.”
Conclusion: Mao unified China in 1949 (without Taiwan though), thus ending China’s century of humiliation!
3. 1949 – Present: The People’s Republic of China
Over this period, the CPC history is the Chinese history, and vice versa. For more, read: The People’s Republic of China at Age 70.
Source: Visual Capitalist
Still wondering about my statement at the beginning that “attacking the CPC is attacking China”?
Wonder not!
There would have been no modern China, without the CPC!
4. Discussion
Five big questions:
- What is the CPC, anyway?
- Can China possibly be as good as it is today without the CPC?
- Challenges facing China?
- The biggest and unique challenge facing the CPC?
- Will China have a bright future under the CPC’s one-party rule?
Let me answer them one by one …
4.1 What is the CPC, anyway?
China has a one-party political system, with the CPC ruling at all levels (e.g. village, county, city, province, and the central government). The CPC’s ruling must not be challenged, with everything else being negotiable, including the replacement of the leaders at various levels and even freedom of speech.
The CPC is like a private club – You must be good enough to join! It has a well-designed tier system for a member to advance his/her career. For more, read: Governance in China: Past, Present, and Future.
Here is a simple analogy to help my fellow Americans understand the CPC:
- The CPC under Mao (1949 – 1976) is like the Democratic Party, with only the extreme left though. Hell!
- The CPC post-Mao (1978 – present) is like the [pre-Trump] Republican Party, without the extreme right though. Heaven? Not really, but it’s surely far better than hell!
4.2 Can China possibly be as good as it is today, without the CPC?
No, or highly unlikely!
Three informative readings:
4.3 Challenges facing China?
China is facing enormous challenges, from demographics, to environmental pollution, and to the growing inequality between the super-rich and average citizens.
Now, add a big new one: hostility from the U.S. – Read: The U.S. vs. China: From the Trade War to Commercial Sabotage!
Because the CPC is the ruling party in China, all the challenges for China are the challenges for the CPC.
4.4 The biggest and unique challenge facing the CPC?
Developing a succession system, with the term limit, hopefully, for the CPC General Secretary, not the Chinese Presidency, as many in the West believe!
Two informative readings:
If General Secretary Xi can meet this challenge, he could possibly be on par with Mao and Deng in Chinese history, as I projected in my first book (published on December 1, 2012) – See cover below.
4.5 Will China have a bright future under the CPC’s one-party rule?
Yes, very likely!
Three main reasons:
- The current Chinese system is surely the best for China, although it is far from being perfect or even ideal.
- The Chinese system is perhaps the best available in the world today. For more, read: Towards an Ideal Form of Government (Version 3).
- The CPC has proven to be highly adaptable, which is the key to success, be it for individuals or political systems.
Three informative readings on the bigger picture beyond the CPC:
5. Closing
Overall, the CPC not only has done a great job in China, with no end in sight, but also enjoys overwhelming support of the Chinese people.
So, stop attacking the CPC! If you do, you are attacking China, including all the Chinese people in China!
Now, please sit back and enjoy the video below.
