David Shambaugh's China collapse theory
- By Heiko Khoo
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 13, 2015
Fourth on the list is the campaign against corruption. Shambaugh accepts that the campaign initiated by Xi Jinping "is more sustained and severe than any previous one" but he claims that corruption in China is endemic to the system. So in order to stamp out corruption China needs to adopt Western democracy, a privately dominated economy, private media and create a legal system that serves private interests. The scale of corporate corruption in U.S. politics, banking and business is naturally beyond the remit of Shambaugh's article.
It is quite clear that the anti-corruption campaign in China boosts the popularity of the CPC and of Xi Jinping. It is also clear that the mass of Chinese people stand fully behind this campaign. Shambaugh's begrudging acceptance that the campaign is substantial can be ascertained by remembering his first love – concern for the fate of super rich economic elites.
Finally, Shambaugh claims China's economy is stuck in "systemic" traps. Naturally, this fits into his overall complaints that state owned industry is to be blamed for holding China back – from "systemic" change to capitalism!
Some years ago Shambaugh bemoaned the fact that modern sinology tends to be more and more about less and less rather than addressing grand problems and questions. But his latest attempt to generalize and universalize has produced a rather poor result. He looks at China's politics without considering society as a whole. However, the mass of urban and rural workers and peasants need to be part of any objective assessment of China's political life. Shambaugh's work excludes the masses from anything more than a bit-part role.
Communist Party rule is based on its capacity to conquer and sustain support from the masses. This necessarily entails using public property in the form of state-owned enterprises to serve the needs of the people and recognizing that fighting corruption also involves stamping on the feet of corrupt tigers in elite circles.
China's economic planning is based on state investment in infrastructure. This has focused on urbanization, to bring general improvements to new urban inhabitants. Real and palpable progress in the living standards and life expectations of hundreds of millions of people must take priority over the interests of private economic elites. The battle against corruption is central to the campaign to ensure that cadres and party members serve the people.
The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm
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