The 18th national congress will be taking place in an atmosphere of meeting national as well as global challenges in a world that is domestically as well as internationally and geo-politically in a period of rapid transitions.
China´s economy has since it´s transition to a new approach towards a socialist based marked economy experienced a rapid growth on both domestic and international markets. The party will discuss how the generated market revenues can be used to create a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way to accelerate the nations modernization. China has vast rural districts that will have to be developed to prevent that the nation will run on two separate developmental tracks, which over a longer period would result in dissatisfaction, and possibly a depopulation of rural districts rather than their development.
China has over the last decade developed into the economic, financial as well as industrial primus motor of the worlds economies. Merely taken the vastness of the countries territories and it´s population size into account, the party will have to meet what can best be described as a colossal challenge. Social progress which is developed in a combined bottom up and top down model can only be successful, if it is implemented at all levels, equally enthusiastically, realistically, avoiding the pitfalls of inertia as well as too rapid change which does not proliferate the wealth to the working class and farmers.
The Communist Party of China seems to have understood the potential dangers of the development of a political and corporate class, versus workers and farmers class situation. It seems to actively meet the challenge by encouraging more workers and farmers to attend the congress and to take an increasingly active role in Chinese politics.
Over the last month, the nations provinces, regions and municipalities have reshuffled their local political leadership and representation for the next five years term, and the local Party committees have been electing the deputies who will attend the Party´s National Congress. The proportion of worker deputies has increased this year. Thus, 9 out of 85 deputies in Guangdon are workers, which is a significant increase if one compares it to the 3 out of 85 workers that had been elected for the last term. Another encouraging development is, that there have been more younger representatives who have been elected to the ranks of the Chinese political leadership. It is a healthy sign for China that it has an active political youth, and it may contribute to the long-term political stability of the country in the face of external challenges.
The preparations for the congress have deconstructed Western “Myths and Propaganda” about a proposed lack of “democracy and participatory rights” in China as well as exaggerated propaganda about corruption.
The sheer size of China´s political apparatus can seem daunting and due to it´s size there are implicit systemic challenges to be met to safeguard that what Westerners would describe as democracy. The sheer size of the political apparatus also bears within it inherent dangers of nepotism, corruption.
The Party leadership, however, seems to cope with these challenges in a far more reassuring way than that what can be observed in Western nations who brand themselves as vanguards of “Democracy”,
While proclaiming themselves as “Vanguards of Democracy”, they are installing tyrannical proxy governments in many of the nations that are within their hegemonic, aggressively expanding spheres of interest. The installment of the post-coup Libyan government which found it necessary to pass a law that punishes any endorsement of the former Libyan government, any of the former governments attainments for the people of Libya or Africa, endorsements of Muammar Ghadafi, or any member of his family, with life time prison sentences, that, is just the latest example of the export version of Western Brand “Democracy”.
And what about E.U. Member states and the USA and “democracy there from where it is exported ?
Rather than being a citizen of one of those Western Democracies that pass ever more restrictive laws that curtail freedom of speech and civil liberties under the pretense of an often self-created “terrorism threat”, like the passing of E.U Anti Terrorism legislation, or the United States passing of “the Patriot Act” and ” the National Defense Authorization Act”; rather than being a citizen of one of those Western “Democracies” that implement a ruthless neo-liberal economy, nations who privatize the public sector, who allow “lobbyists” for a military industrial complex or prison industry to dictate domestic and foreign policy to such a degree that the true nature of those Western “Democracies” is Fascism or Corporatism; rather than being a citizen of those nations, it must feel much more reassuring to be citizen of a Socialist China, governed by a bottom up top down – top up bottom down participatory political system, that encourages Party activists to make an extra effort to face the challenges of nepotism and corruption as well as inertia in the face of the challenges of domestic and global transitions.
A wonderful example of the truly “democratic nature of China” can be seen in the appeal of the Central Committee of the CPC after it´s sixth plenary session in preparation of the 18th National Congress.
The CPC Central Committee issued a circular that was meant to prepare the election of representatives to the 18th Party Congress, in which it stated that the National Congress is taking place at a critical juncture in the Parties endeavor to construct a well-off society and the transformation of the mode of the economic development.
The Central Committee encouraged the election of qualified representatives. Qualification being a fundamental prerequisite for the Congress. It encouraged Party members to realize that the elections for the Congress and the Congress are a good opportunity for party members to exercise democracy within the Party, stating that democracy is vital to the development and security of the Party as well as the country. It encouraged Party organizations to strengthen leadership and to advocate democracy in accordance with the Party´s Charter.
As guidelines for qualifications, the Central Committee mentioned experience, meaning that prior membership in Party Youth Organizations is a good prerequisite. It states that a firm ideological belief and a correct political stance, as well as morality and style are good prerequisites. Excellence in career performance as well as strength in carrying out ones duties are mentioned as strong prerequisites. The Central Committee also emphasized that elections must be held according to strictly democratic principles, encouraging every citizen to participate in recommending candidates.
For Westerners, who have been brought up in Western capitalist cultures, words like that of the Central Committee may sound odd. They may sound like a top down governed and dictated election process rather than true democracy.
There are two main reasons for this misperception. For one, it is a question of differences in political and democratic culture. While Chinese politics encourages youth to educate themselves politically, and to recognize that every single citizen has a responsibility towards his family, his community, his nation, it is entirely different in the West.
In Western “Democracies”, youth are generally held politically naive, preoccupied with them selves rather than their families and communities and in a state of a somewhat naive irresponsibility towards the state, since “the government” will take care of “everything”. No wonder than, that the West has degenerated into a state of virtual fascism or corporatism.
The second main reason is that state and corporate controlled Western Main Stream Media are maintaining an all pervasive propaganda and indoctrination of it´s people against China and it´s political system, while keeping the citizen in a state of naivete about the fact that the citizens political influence in the West is as good as non existent – that civil liberties and “democracy” of the West are in fact an illusion.
It is for this very reason, and for the reason that the opening of the Chinese economy and civil society to the West is making China vulnerable to the Wests´s covert wars that are waged by propaganda, by foundations that claim to endorse and support “Democracy” while preparing post modern coup d´etats in targeted nations; for the reason that Western NGO´s are abused to destabilize nations under the pretense of human rights advocacy, Trojan Horses,who are used to destabilize targeted nations; it is for these reasons, that the Central Committee is well advised in advising the Chinese population to elect candidates with qualifications as those specified above. The destabilization of Tibet is but one of the many examples for how the West abuses human rights as a pretext for waging covert wars. Hollywood is a potent weapon in preparing coup d´etats by propagandizing Western populations as well as populations in targeted nations. A good example that has validity for China would be the glorification of the Dalai Lama in Hollywood movies. Well propagandized Westerners support subversion out of the goodness of their hearts because nobody is telling them that Tibet was a tyrannical feudal state with a literally enslaved situation. Nobody is informed of the appalling human rights abuses in Tibet, and the fact that the Tibetan population sooner or later would have begun their own revolution against their feudal masters and oppressors. The Socialist Revolutions of Russia and China would soon have convinced Tibetans that there was another, a better way had the Chinese Communist Party not liberated them. The author of this article is a Buddhist and wonders how it can be that nobody in the West seems to ask the question how it can be that the Dalai Lama can be both a King, a shrewd statesman and a Monk, all at the same time.
The 18th National Congress and the CPC will also have to relate to transitions in international and global politics.
After the brutal post modern coup d´etat in Libya, after the ousting of Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast, and countless other aggressions, it has become obvious that the NATO alliance and it´s allies are waging proxy military wars that are ultimately directed against Russia and China. The Chinese model of joint ventures in what Westerners like to describe as “third world” countries is a stark competition to the West´s Disaster Capitalism. In fact, the West can not compete with the Chinese economic model in an open and fair competition. Their answer is warfare rather than implementing a more sound economic and political model.
Military expansionism and modo-colonialism that is directed against China is a severe and growing challenge which China must meet. Western Policy papers, for instance, often describe China´s economical growth in South East Asia as a String of Pearls, that must be challenged politically and militarily. That means, to contain and threaten China´s economy, trade, commerce and diplomacy by all means; subversion and warfare included.
Members of the Chinese Communist Party on all levels are wise when being ideologically, politically, economically, diplomatically as well as militarily well prepared to meet these challenges. It the challenge to meet the West´s ambitions for global full spectrum dominance.
Last years developments in Libya and Syria, and the fact that NATO and it´s allies, Israel and the GCC member states, have brought the world to the brink of a regional war that could have global implications over Syria, are a sombre reminder of how seriously and how soon this challenge has to be met.
I wish the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, all delegates to the 18th National Congress, all members of the Chinese Communist Party, and in fact every citizen of China a successful Congress, success in your plans and endeavors, peace, prosperity and stability and that includes my fellow Buddhist brothers and sisters in Tibet.
Dr. Christof Lehmann
01.07.2012