The American Spectator : China Confidential

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China Confidential

By George H. Wittman on 10.16.09 @ 6:07AM

For all its recent material success China can't come to grips with the ineptness of its governance.

In honor of China's 60th anniversary of Communist rule a massive and colorful parade recently was held in Beijing. A panoply of weapons was displayed as thousands of carefully chosen military cadre in tailored uniforms goose-stepped through Tiananmen Square. As one military observer noted: "They dance well, they wear well-cut battle dress, but can they fight?"

Of course the question was sarcastic, but it was not without an element of reality. China has become enamored of display. Their economic success has encouraged extravagance as a symbol. In fact, this has been part of Chinese culture for years. Even the puritanism of the early days of Mao Tse-tung's rule was carried on with such a sense of enormousness that the entire nation seemed to have lost all individuality.

Now the material changes wrought by nearly thirty years of steadily achieved economic success have reversed the purposeful drabness of the Mao period in exchange for the exoticism of soaring skyscrapers, French-like fashion consciousness in the big cities and modernity in everything from construction equipment to telecommunications and electronics. Nonetheless everything and everybody continues to march forward in Maoist lockstep, strutting their material wealth. This is accomplished the same way it was done sixty years ago -- by hiding the failures and inadequacies of the governance.

From a military standpoint even the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would have to acknowledge they have not seen combat since the Vietnamese embarrassed them in 1979. They may have an impressive array of weapons, conventional and nuclear, as well as a reasonably modern air force and a growing, yet still small, blue water navy -- but that's about it. They have no combat experience and the command is unproven, inexperienced and highly politicized. As such, at this time the PRC poses no direct military threat to the United States; that does not mean they might not in the future. But as the attaché noted -- they do parade well.

Most of the fighting that China does these days is either on the domestic front in the form of intense personal and group competition for political positioning -- or internationally for economic and political influence in world affairs. The domestic front sometimes becomes the roughest. There's just too much money floating about in Chinese business and political life to not have a corrupting influence. However, that has never been necessary in the always smoldering environment of the all-powerful Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as anyone who can remember the days of Mao's wife Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four can attest.

Perhaps one of the best examples of the current depth of corruption occurred in the recent case of the mayor of the city of Shenzhen, the original free enterprise zone nearby to Hong Kong. Apparently this once trusted party leader was found to have bought his political position and then proceeded to take payoffs for every major project under construction in that city.

What is truly stunning is the fact that lesser posts throughout China for years have been purchased, or at least rented. Such positions include functionaries on all levels of local government including, surprisingly, the Communist party, itself. These posts carry the leverage to influence all contracts, and are compensated by substantial cash bribes -- as many who have done business with the PRC well know.

Supposedly the extremely secretive and powerful Central Organization Department vets all management job candidates from the smallest to the most important corporations and government positions. In spite of a plethora of sophisticated personnel tools -- including polygraphs, intelligence tests, and psychological profiling -- the COD has been unable to stem the continuing tide of corruption in Chinese government and commerce. But then one is forced to ask whether the purpose of this powerful department is to organize and police the nation's executive work force or simply to move around acceptable individuals in an orderly fashion, thus perpetuating the system.

The mistake would be to relate in any way the success of China's economy with the structure of preference and advantage that guides the country's still totalitarian-run political system. The Chinese leadership has found a way to preserve its control, indeed domination, over this vast nation while at the same time utilizing the structure and benefits of a market economy. In that sense, the political economy of the PRC now more resembles the theory and practice of national socialism in Nazi Germany than of Soviet Communism.

The difference is that Communist China, in spite of periodic saber rattling toward Taiwan, appears to be smart enough not to become involved in military conflict. The greater future problem, however, is that the still monolithic political structure seems ready-made for a dictatorial takeover. In the centuries of China's existence that has been its tendency. It's a danger that cannot be disregarded.

topics:
Communism, Corruption, China

About the Author

George H. Wittman writes a weekly column on international affairs for The American Spectator online. He was the founding chairman of the National Institute for Public Policy.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (15) | Leave a comment

Melvin| 10.16.09 @ 7:33AM

And this corruption that is the norm for China is not rampant here?
Don't kid ourselves America, political corruption is just as part of our representative form of government as China's if not more.
Charles Rangel, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Barny Frank, former NC Gov. Mike Easley and his wife just to name a few of the more but not caught corrputors that or had control of tax payers money as if it were a personal piggy bank.
From American cities to state capitols corruption, favors, sweet heart land or mortgage deals are just a small part of the larger corruption issue that is bankrupting this country.
All forms of legislation is not legilsation to preserve freedom or protect this country from it's enemies, but rather legislation is a giant money skimming scheme that has a percentage included into it to be siphoned off by the politicians or political action group.
20 millions dollars skimmed off the recently passed defense budget for the Senator Edward Kennedy Education Center. Eduction Center for what, "How to steal money from the tax payers and the men and women in the field fighting the Taliban in 1 easy step?"
Just because we elect politicians doesn't make them immune from becoming common thief's with tax payers money. Congressman Rangel is proof of that.

Alan Brooks| 10.16.09 @ 7:15PM

yep. you might as well admit it:
social progress is dead, now only science remains.
And religion.

Alan Brooks| 10.16.09 @ 7:24PM

My cousin was in China teaching English.
He made the mistake of teaching for a year instead of six months. The military school he was teaching at stole his passport while he was out of his room, and he had to sneak out of the country.

Alan Brooks| 10.16.09 @ 7:26PM

see, if they have you for six months, they let you go; a year and then they want to keep you.

Alan Brooks| 10.17.09 @ 11:07PM

No, Cartman,
Melvin is not overreacting. Give the cheesepuff to someone who is hungry.

Eric Cartman| 10.16.09 @ 9:56AM

Melvin! Chill! Have a Cheezie Poof, Dude! Yeah, we have scum in our government. Ninety percent of the Democrats are traitorous crap holes. And the Republicans are corrupt, wussified, ball-less wonders who can't seem to grow a pair. But China is on another level, dude. They're serious about world domination.

Josh Price| 10.16.09 @ 10:02AM

Let there be no doubt that China is at war with us. Perhaps not militarily, but certainly from an economic, intelligence-gathering, and cyber-hacking standpoint.

They aren't trading with us economically solely for financial gain and economic growth. The other, perhaps even the primary reason, they're trading with us to achieve economic leverage over us. I'd say they've easily won that battle.

They've also had success hacking into government computers. Now Chairman Obama is loosening the export controls on missile technology to China. There's some good news.

China is a threat, and it's a threat now.

Margie| 10.17.09 @ 12:07AM

Has Obama ever met a Communist he DIDN'T like? ..and they all like him.. oh wait, some are a little miffed (supposedly), that he isn't Communist enough.

Galen| 10.16.09 @ 10:09AM

Doesn't anyone recall Manderiin China? Isn't "squeeze" a Chinese concept/ Insn't "Cumshaw" a chinese word?

Oldefarte| 10.16.09 @ 11:03AM

Due to the policies/programs of our current administration, they will be saying tha same thing about the US in the not too distant future!!!!

justasimplepatriot| 10.17.09 @ 12:03AM

"For all its recent material success China can't come to grips with the ineptness of its governance."

I feel your pain, China. :(

Richard Baker| 10.19.09 @ 9:49PM

Remember, the Chinese Generals want a brawl. In military publications and speeches they so proclaim. They don't say these things unless the civil leadership allows. We will eventually have to face the Red Army and mostly because the DC politicians have given them the resources to do so. God Save the United States.

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