The Legitimacy of the Chinese Government

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Written by Frank Li

For the past two decades at least, China bashing has been an American pastime, especially for the main-stream media and politicians. Two main reasons: 

It's popular, convenient, and relatively inconsequential, unlike, for example, Mexico bashing (as amply proven by Donald Trump). 

Thanks to the arrogance of the American logic: "if it's very different from us, it must be bad, because we're the best." This logic is especially true for the political system: China is a dictatorship, while we are a democracy! The fact that the ruling party in China is named the "Communist Party of China" (or CPC) has only made China bashing easier and more acceptable ... 

Worse yet, some Americans even doubt the legitimacy of the Chinese government, because its leaders are not democratically elected, like ours are ...

1. Self-determination

Whether a government is legitimate is up to its citizens to determine!

1.1 Self-determination for yourself

As the longest continual civilization in human history, China has had many dynasties over the past five thousand years. They come and go, with most dynasty changes being internally caused and hugely bloody!

America gained independence from the British via the bloody American Revolution.

1.2 Self-determination for others

In this regard, China has been one of the best behaving countries in the world for the past two thousand years, at least! China has rarely interfered in other countries' affairs. In contrast, after WWII, the U.S. officially replaced the U.K. as the new Empire, instigating international crises everywhere (e.g. Vietnam and Panama). It got much worse after 1991 (when the Cold War ended), with the Iraq War being the worst example! For more, read: 9/11 Attack vs. Pearl Harbor Attack.

Every country has its own situation (e.g. history and culture) and must determine its own destiny! Few external forces, from colonization to Democratic Imperialism, can change it, in any name, be it civilization or modernization!

2. China

China has ended up with its current government for many reasons. Three informative readings: 

America: What is China's Political System, Anyway?

"Communist China", Really?

Chinese Presidency: An Earned Kingship for 10 Years. 

3. America

America has ended up with its current government for many reasons too. To truly understand America, read: How Debt Conquered America.

In addition, three informative readings: 

Democracy in America. 

Diagnosis for America (Version 3). 

Solution for America (Version 3). 

4. China vs. America

Throughout Chinese history, the rule for ruling has been very simple: beat the emperor, be the emperor (打天下者坐天下).

This rule of ruling certainly applies to the current ruler: the CPC, which usurped power in 1949.

The bad news is that Mao Zedong, who ruled China from 1949 to 1976 as the de facto last emperor, proved to be a total disaster, with an estimated 20 million people, at least, died from starvation and persecution under his rule.

The good news is that after Mao's death in 1976, China finally accepted the blatant failure of communism and transformed itself with a new system labeled "a dictatorship without a dictator", or “a republic without democracy” or "state capitalism". It has worked out remarkably well for China since then, with no end in sight.

Compared with China, America is young and unsophisticated, having had only one form of government so far: a republic with democracy. Although the system has worked out well for more than 200 years, it appears to have stopped working since the turn of this century!

More ominous for America, democracy has been a proven failure throughout human history, without a single example of lasting success! Will America be the sole exception to history? Highly unlikely!

Worst of all for America, democracy has been so religiously practiced in America for the past 200 years that some Americans even consider it possibly "The End of History?", thus concluding social evolution, here and now! Totally ridiculous!

Here is yet another recent sign that China is becoming yesterday's America, while America is becoming yesterday's China: Xi Jinping’s Remedy for China’s Economic Gloom Has Echoes of Reagan.

5. Closing

The Chinese government not only is perfectly legitimate, but may also be the best available form of government on earth today. For more, read: Towards an Ideal Form of Government and Democracy: to be or not to be?