VisitorstotheCPCAnti-corruptionAchievementsExhibitiononJanuary21,2015,heldinTaiyuan,ShanxiProvince.ITisoftenhardforresearchersofthemulti-partysystemtocomprehendthephenomenonoflongtermone-partyrule.Influencedastheyarebytheideologyofliberalism,mostcriticsassociatelong-termsingle-partyrulewithrifecorruption,bureaucracy,anddogmatism,leadingtosocialstagnationorevencollapse.Thisisindeedthecommontheoreticalbasisoftheso-called,muchvaunted“Chinacollapse.”
ObservationofthefactsoverrecentdecadesshowsthattheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)hasneitherrigidifiednorputrefiedassuchdetractorssurmise,butacquiredthroughconstantreformsacontemporaryvitalityintandemwithChina’srise.
PragmaticUniversalResponsibility
TheCPC’s“culturalgene”helpsittosuccessfullyavoiddogmatism.Inmanysingle-partyruledstates,solidificationofhierarchyandconsequentideologicalossificationareindeedseriousproblems.Mostcommunist-ledcountries,suchastheformerSovietUnionandcertainthirdworldcountries,fellintosuchrigidpredicamentsaftertheirvictoriousrevolutions.Havinglostsightoftheidealofemancipatingallhumankind,oncepassionatecommunistleadersgraduallydegeneratedintodoctrinairescontentwithmonopolizingpowerandusingideologicalsloganstocamouflagesocialconflicts.Thisultimatelyresultedinthefailureofthecommunistmovementinthesecountries.
WhatmakestheCPCexceptionalinthisregardisthat,unlikecertainrebelswhoseekonlytowieldpower,itisapragmaticpartywithastrongsenseofuniversalresponsibilitywhosegovernancebenefitsthepeople.SincethebirthoftheCPC,leaderslikeLiDazhao,ChenDuxiu,MaoZedong,ZhouEnlai,andDengXiaopinghavelaidgreatstoreonmaintainingthebalancebetweenethicalprinciplesandreallife.ForWesterners,thebinaryoppositionofconsciousnessandmaterialismoftencreatesahighdegreeoffragmentationbetweenideologyandsociallife,butforChinesepeople,theunityofoppositesisthemeanstoachievingasuitablebalance.
Thankstothisculturalgene,theCPChasfortunatelyavoidedideologicaldeadlockandformulatedasurvivalprincipleimbuedwithorientalwisdom,whereinpracticeisthesolecriterionfortestingtruth.Inotherwords,ithelpsCPCmemberstoconstantlybearsocialpracticeinmindthroughoutthepursuitofcommunism,soensuringthattheirpoliciesneverbecomerigiddogmafarremovedfromreallife.DuringtheCPCrevolutionanditsgovernance,thereindeedappearedanumberofivory-towereddoctrinaireswhomademajormistakes.Butsuchdeviationswereneverprolongedorcontinuousphenomena.AtthecriticalmomentthespiritofpragmatismalwayshelpedtheCPCputmattersright.TherectificationofWangMing’sradicalisminrevolutionarytimes,andthecorrectingofthemistakesofthe“culturalrevolution”duringtheperiodofreformandopening-upsignifythispragmaticspirit.Atpresent,theongoingsupply-sidereformisthelatestcaseinpoint.
LearningCapacityinComplexSituations
China’sdiversityandcomplexitycoupledwiththeCPC’slearningcapacityguaranteetheparty’svitality.Comparedtootherdegenerateone-partyruledgovernments,theCPCcanlearnfrommistakesandacquireknowledgefromcomplexnewsituations.Thisisundoubtedlythekeytoitslongstandingsuccess.Chinaisavastlandwithacomplicatedsocialconstitutionandcloseglobalconnections,allofwhichhavedeterminedtheCPC’shighlycomplexanddiversifiedgovernanceenvironment.ThiscomplexityrequiresthattheCPCmaintainanopenattitudetowardspoliticalpractice,andalsoofferssufficientscopeforthetrialandcompetitionofdifferentadministrativeapproaches.Comparedwiththecommunistpartyinothercountries,thesuccessoftheCPCmainlydependsonitsadaptationtoacomplexenvironment.DuringtheAnti-FascistWarandtheWarofLiberationperiods,thiswasapparentinthemilitarystrategiesandlinesofthoughtonworkaspracticedinvariousrevolutionarybaseareas.Duringtheperiodofreformandopening-up,itwasmanifestininstitutionalinnovationsanddevelopmentpathsindifferentregions,ofwhichShenzhenSpecialEconomicZonewasthemostrepresentativepilot.
Deepintegrationintotheglobalmarket,wideparticipationinglobalaffairs,andaproactiveresponsetothecomplexmodernworldarenowmandatorymissionsfortheCPC.Duringthiscourse,itisimperativefortheCPCtodrawonadvancedtechnology,systemsandconceptstoenhanceChina’scompetitiveness.
TheCPC’stalentsselection,trainingsystem,andinner-partydemocracyactasinternalguaranteesofitsvitality.Ontheonehand,comparedwiththecommunistpartyinothercountries,thereisnotraceofnepotismorclasssolidificationintheCPC’sselectionoftalents.TraditionalChineseculturestressesjusticeandopposespartialityandcronyism.ThiswasalsoafinetraditionamongtheearlyaltruisticCPCrevolutionaryleaders.Thetopleadershaveallrisenthroughtheranksfromthegrassrootspositionsratherthanexperiencedmeteoricrisesduetoreputationorconnections.Ontheotherhand,theselectionofgrassrootscadreshasalwaysbeenstringentlyconductedonthebasisofperformanceappraisal.Withoutoutstandingachievements,itisdifficulttostandoutamidsuchfiercecompetition.Toavoidfortuitousnessduetoregionaldisparities,grassrootscadresmustprovetheiradaptabilityandgovernancecapacitythroughassignmentexchangesorworkinotherareas.
Inadditiontoafairandcompetitiveselectionmechanism,theCPC’ssystematictrainingisalsofarsuperiortothatofothercountries.Differentfromtheloosesocialbondsofotherpoliticalparties,theCPChasfromthestartestablishedapreciseandconsistentsystemforcultivatingtalents.Itmaintainsnotonlyacloseconnectionwithsocialorganizationsandinstitutionsofhigherlearning,butalsoitsdistinctideologyandvalues.TheCPCtrainingsystemcanmaintainastrongmobilizationcapacitybyrapidlyimplementingthecentralcommittee’swill.Itcanmoreovercontinuouslyprovideapreeminentteamoftalentsandacquirevaluableknowledgefromgrassrootspractice.
SelfRenewalThroughInner-partyDemocracyandOpening-up
ItisworthnotingthattheCPC’sinner-partydemocracyconstitutesasignificantsystemicguaranteeofitsrethinkingandsolvingofproblems.AlthoughthestrictCPCdisciplineandsenseoforganizationtosomeextentinhibitsconfrontationalanddramaticdebates,ithasnoeffectonconstructivedebatesonmajorissues,eitherintheoryorpractice.Duringthepastdecades,whetherintheformofcriticismsoffaultlinesduringrevolutionarytimes,orreflectionsonthe“GreatLeapForward”and“culturalrevolution,”debateshaveneverstopped.Eventhesupremeleadermustbesubjecttosupervisionandcriticismfromtheinner-partydemocracy,whichneverallowsanyindividualwilltosupersedeorganizationalcommitments.Itisinner-partydemocracythathelpedtheCPCtorapidlycorrecterrorsandachieveupgradesthroughreflection.
Reformandopening-upofferstheCPCtheexternalconditionsthroughwhichtostayactive.Inaone-partyruledcountry,althoughtherulingpartymightnotfaceadequatechallengeswithinthecountry,fierceinternationalcompetitionwillpromoteitsconstantself-learningandself-enhancement.TheCPC’slegitimacylinksnotonlytothesuperiorityandjusticeofthesocialistsystem,butalsotothecountry’smodernizationprocessandgreatrejuvenationoftheChinesenation.PromotingChina’sdevelopmentandprogresshasindeedbecomeoneofthecrucialcomponentsoftheCPC’slegitimatefoundation.ItisthusimpossiblefortheCPCtochooseseclusionasameanstomaintainingthesecurityofitsregime.
Moreimportantly,sincereformandopening-uphasdramaticallychangedsocietyandgreatlyimprovedpeople’slivingstandards,thepolicyhasbeengenerallyacceptedbysocietyasawholeaspoliticallycorrect.Reformisthusnotjustamethodbutalsoagoal.TheCPCmustkeeptothepathofreformandopening-upandacquirenewknowledgeandconceptsalongit.ThecollisionandintegrationbetweenthecountryandtheworldwilleventuallylaydynamicfoundationsforsocialismwithChinesecharacteristics.
DuringthecourseofthegreatrejuvenationoftheChinesenation,andtomeetpeople’sgrowingmaterialandspiritualneeds,theCPCmustachieveself-renewalthroughpractice–thesourceoftheCPC’slegitimacy.Inotherwords,theCPCwillnotstandstillandrefusetomakeprogress,butgainboundlessvitalitythroughitsgovernanceofbothdomesticandinternationalaffairs.
CHUYINisanassociateprofessorattheUniversityofInternationalRelations.