We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, November 12, 2017

China and the US: Rational Planning and “Lumpen” Capitalism

Click here to access article by James Petras from Dissident Voice
Mired down in gossip, idle speculation and petty denigration of its leaders, the Western press has once again failed to take account of the world-historical changes which are currently taking place in China and throughout the world.

World historical changes, as articulated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, are present in the vision, strategy and program of the Congress. These are based on a rigorous survey of China’s past, present and future accomplishments.

The serious purpose, projections and the presence of China’s President stand in stark contrast to the chaos, rabble-rousing demagogy and slanders characterizing the multi-billion dollar US Presidential campaign and its shameful aftermath.
The retired sociology professor contrasts China's activities with US's activities along a number of indices such as economic planning, economic development, dealing with corruption, military, innovation, imperialism and subversion, etc., and measures the results in terms of economic growth. We are a distant number two along any and all of these indices from a positive perspective. 

I think that this is because the Chinese Communist Party which is in control of strategic planning and the overall government remains largely uncorrupted by the growing wealth and number of capitalists in China's economy. I have long feared that the latter would thoroughly corrupt the Communist Party and wrest control of China away from them, but there are few indications that is happening. From all appearances the Chinese Communist Party have under Deng's influence (starting in the late 1970s) demonstrated a strikingly different philosophical orientation from that of Western Capitalism. I am referring to his "win-win" policy, which is continuing under President Xi Jinping, that seeks harmony in relations with others by ensuring that most parties to any economic activity win, that is, achieve mainly what they want.

Thus the Chinese offered their cheap labor as an incentive to capitalists around the world to attain the high profits they desired while the Chinese benefited from the technology that these corporations brought to China. They have learned well and are now leading the way in many technological advancements.

Guiding these actions is the Chinese Communist Party which plans, measures outcomes, and implements corrective actions to ensure that they reach planning goals that offers benefits to China--as a nation, not as a Chinese ruling class--as well as foreign capitalists. Western capitalism has been guided by a zero-sum model in which participants are pitted against each other for a major share of the economic and political pie. 

This winner-loser orientation preceded capitalism and has plagued societies since the beginning of civilization roughly 10,000 years ago. However capitalism fitted well with this conflict model by producing winners and losers guided by the chaotic "invisible hand" of the market. Western capitalism has viewed the concentration of wealth for ruling classes as the ultimate weapon which they saw as useful in conflicts with workers, other capitalists, and other nations. Hence, the history of capitalism has been largely a history of class conflict, wars, and imperialism.