Marxism in China

[Che a chara]

I'm aware of China's foray into the global economy and acceptance of reforms and bourgeois politics but would it be optimistic to presume that there is still a desire for Marxist thought/policies within the Chinese state ?:


Vice President urges officials to enhance study of Marxism

English.news.cn (http://www.xinhuanet.com/english2010/) 2011-05-13 21:37:12

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-05/13/13873979_11n.jpg
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (C), also president of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attends the school's opening ceremony for the spring semester's second group of students, in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2011. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Friday urged leaders and cadres to attach great importance to the study of Marxist theories and to creatively use them in analyzing and solving the country's practical problems.

Xi, also president of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the remarks at the school's opening ceremony for the spring semester's second group of students.

Officials can enhance knowledge and insight, as well as foster a down-to-earth work style through their study of Marxism, said Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Officials cannot do without the guidance of Marxist philosophy and the methodologies of dialectical materialism and historical materialism in making proper judgements on situations, keeping a sober mind in complex situations, and analyzing scientifically the country's development opportunities and challenges, he said.

Furthermore, he encouraged CPC officials to enhance learning socialist theories with Chinese characteristics and to make efforts in solving prominent problems which may restrain the country from developing in a scientific way.

More than 1,100 people, including CPC officials attending the school's spring semester and the school's leaders, attended Friday's ceremony.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-05/13/c_13873979.htm?


Chinese prisoners could get jail time cut for communist cultural activities

Agence France-Presse · May 14, 2011 | Last Updated: May 14, 2011 3:14 AM ET

Prisoners in China could see their sentences cut if they take part in "red" cultural activities, as part of a drive to promote communist revolutionary ideals. Authorities in Chongqing have ordered the re-education of prisoners be carried out with the help of singing and reading activities based on red culture, the state Chongqing Daily reported Friday. A top official at the municipal committee pointed to the "educational" qualities of red culture -songs to the glory of communism or revolutionary poetry -to help inmates become law-abiding people who will be "useful to society." The initiative is the latest red move in Chongqing, a fast-growing municipality of more than 30 million people run by party chief Bo Xilai, who has pledged to reinvigorate the city with the ideals of Mao Zedong, pictured.


http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Chinese+prisoners+could+jail+time+communist+cultur al+activities/4782648/story.html?

[RGacky3]

Marxism does not equal socialism, it could be just understanding capitalism better.

[Dunk]

Marxism is a weapon to use against people like this VP. Curious and depressing the state is so secure they can aim the gun to their own head without the fear the Chinese working class will pull the trigger.

[hatzel]

This is the kind of stuff where the sole intention is to give the impression that they remain committed to the communist ideal, that time is all they need before the final transition. Of course if they said 'oh, yeah, we've actually decided just to have capitalism now, fuck that commie shit!', then there would be a big chance of old-school commies threatening the regime. This is just a way of trying to convince the population that they remain committed to the cause, that they are actively working towards communism, suggesting that a new revolution wouldn't speed up progress on that front. Of course we know it's not the case, but they're much more likely to be able to keep a few more people on their side with this kind of empty rhetoric...

[Astarte]

It is important to remember that much of the Chinese economy is still nationalized - mostly heavy industry and the most core aspects of the economy - I read about a year ago somewhere that about 1/3 of the economy is still nationalized ... Also we should remember that the Party is still at least in control of the state, and the only real purpose of bringing in so much Western capital to China was to have to capitalists themselves build infrastructure and inject capital in to the Chinese national economy. I would say this policy was fairly successful as so much of the US national debt is owned by the Chinese. Also, I think it is very possible that in the future when the West finds it cannot pay back its debt to China there may be something of a "Maoist Renaissance" in which the state seizes Western assets and infrastructure.

[RGacky3]

No, not at all, the nationalized part of the economy is not publicallyt controlled as the party is not really democratically accontable, also 1/3rd of the economy is probably less than Norway.

The US injected Capital into China WHILE EXPLOITING A GENERATION AND PROFITING HUGELY OFF CHINEESE WAGE SLAVERY, you really think this was some great socialist plan?

Also China being owed the US a bunch of money does'nt mean anything, they'll never demand it and they can't, they rely so much on US demand, and they rely so much on a comparatively strong dollar that they EVERY trying to demand that money will result in a trade war that China will loose, China simply does not have the demand to hold its economy, nor can it sustain the capital flight that might happen.

[Thug Lessons]

When it comes down to it Marxist political economy is an excellent explanation of how capitalism works regardless of your ideology, but my guess would be that this has more to do with the Chinese government's quest that lay claim to revolutionary ideals it no longer pursues than any real desire to advance Marxist theory.