Beijing is gearing up to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started on July 1st
,1921 at Shanghai in all grandeur and splendour. China’s propaganda machinery
is pulling no stops to exalt the objectives of the CCP and phenomenal
contribution of the current regime in taking the Middle Kingdom to the
pinnacles of success.
Powered by an ideology that offered a different system of
governance and administration contrary to the West, China, wanted to
demonstrate the dominance of its system. Garnering international recognition
after it became UNSC permanent member in 1971, China began to penetrate the ruled-based
institutional framework and surreptitiously used the system to advance its
agenda. Consistently expanding its role at UN and its allied agencies China began
transforming the institutions to reflect its priorities and values.
Till the fall of the Qing dynasty, China was uninterruptedly
ruled for 275 years by monarchs, who ingrained the concept of “Zhongguo”
meaning the Middle Kingdom. They envisioned a China which is political,
cultural and economic centre of the World. In other words, they aspired for a
Sino-centric world. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 following a
rebellion, the leaders advocated for “revitalisation of Chinese nation”1.
Chinese intellectuals influenced by the Bolshevik revolution and inspired by
the Marxism, Leninism and world revolution formed the CCP in 1921. Under the
helm of founding leaders- Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, CCP grew in strength and
successfully drove away, Kuomintang’s Nationalist Forces to Taiwan in 1949 and
established Peoples Republic of China (PRC).
As per the existing system, the leader of Centre Committee of
CCP holds the offices of general secretary (civilian responsibilities),
Chairman of Central Military (CMC), State President and is referred to as
Paramount leader. By extension, the CCP is the singular guiding force of the country.
To deflect the charges of a single party governance and
absence of basic democracy, China has intelligently come up with a rather
jingoistic and flimsy explanations stating that China has multiparty system of
cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of CCP. It enlisted
eight political parties-the revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang;
the China Democratic League; the China National Democratic Construction
Association; the China Association for Promoting Democracy; the Chinese
Peasants and Workers Democratic Party; the China Zhi Gong Party; the Jiusan
Society and the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League and stated that all of
them work together as single unit with CCP exercising state powers and others
participating in the administration of state affairs. Prominent individuals
without any political affiliations are also party of this system2.
The designation of term political party to the above groups
is a misnomer. Reading between the lines, the description of each of these
agencies suggest that they are affiliate organisations of CCP actively
contributing to different aspects of administration. The massive propaganda
exercise days ahead of centenary celebration is just a hog-wash. True to their
names, roots of majority groups can be traced to revolutionary phase of China
and their relevance in contemporary times offers no justification to their
current recalibration as political parties.
As opposed to the CCP’s current membership of 91.9 million
the affiliates of these eight organisations barely run into lakhs. Each group
now comprises of individuals specialised in various fields like- businessmen,
entrepreneurs, doctors, overseas Chinese communities, peasants, workers,
labourers, academicians, scientists, revolutionaries and Taiwan Compatriots as
well.
Deeming it a parliamentary democracy the propaganda manual
released by CCP says that on April 30th 1948 parties responded to
CCP’s call and accepted its leadership. In 1993 consolidating this system, the
multiparty system cooperation added to the constitution endorsing the
continuance of leadership of CCP for a long time in future.
The CCP propaganda manual which is toxic mix of ironies
states that –“the non-CCP political parties exercise oversight over CCP
mainly by putting forward opinions, criticisms and suggestions; the oversight
is consultative and cooperative in nature. The CCP as the ruling party in a
leadership position, willingly accepts the supervision of other political
parties” 2.
Interestingly for all the grand talks of projected inclusivity,
not a whiff of criticism is spared in the country. Disappearance of the
dissents has been a trend in China. When even the Noble Peace Prize nominee Liu
Xiaobo diagnosed with cancer was incarcerated in jail on subversion charges for
calling for greater democracy, how would the World even believe the existence
of even an iota of democratic governance in China. With deceit and lies
becoming the other name of CCP no amount of diligent propaganda purportedly
indicating a semblance of democracy in governance is of no avail.
On the contrary, under the ruse of supervision, surveillance
has become order of the day. With cameras continuously monitoring and tracking
the individuals, Chinese citizens are now deprived of even basic minimum
privacies in life.
The quintessential objectives of CCP’s agenda have been restoration
of global power status and establishment of an alternate global governance
order. Accordingly, massive Sinicization of the so-autonomous regions is
carried out at jet speed. Ruthlessly cracking down on the freedom of speech,
expression, religion and worship CCP has crushed the indigenous culture of the
autonomous region. The internment of over 1 million Uyghur Muslims in the
Xinjiang region, forced sterilisation to curb their population, demolition of
mosques is now the major talking point at global platforms.
Though Beijing smartly managed to hide the self-immolation of
hundreds of Tibetans and their struggle for autonomy during the 2008 Olympics,
the horrors of Xinjiang have definitely reached a breakeven point. US
Congressmen are calling for the boycott of 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
With respect to restoration of global power status which
roughly translates into “unipolar Asia and bipolar World”, CCP made a
huge leap. Keen on ushering the country into a “new era of socialism with
Chinese Characteristics” the current regime has formidably hoisted the
Middle Kingdom to enviable peaks by cementing its status as the manufacturing
hub and promising economic superpower of the World. In the process, China has
also become synonymous to slavery, genocide, suppression of basic freedoms,
torture and religious persecution as well.
China’s enviable economic rise since its economic reforms in
1978 and its transition from a low-income country to an upper-middle-income
country is nothing sort of a miracle. Consolidating its position as the global
manufacturing hub, China has steadily emerged as a global power. China’s
resource intensive manufacturing, exports and low-cost labour model is now
doggedly adopted by several South East Asian countries.
A centenary of CCP should be evaluated on the basis of the
epochal events that etched vicissitudes of country’s journey. If CCP is to be lauded for the emergence of
China as a global power, congruently it must be held responsible for the Great
Leap Forward that led to a massive famine from 1958 to 62 killing 55 million;
the Cultural Revolution in 1966-67 that claimed 20 million lives and
undisclosed deaths of brutal Tiananmen Square crackdown.
But in the run up to the Centenary celebrations, China which
believes that weakening of the Communist party in Soviet Union has led to its
collapse resorted to White-washing vicious legacy of CCP leaders to lend it an
aura of infallibility. By consequence, defiance to the orders of the Paramount
leader has to treated as disloyalty to party. Using the twin handles of
disciplinary action and anti-corruption drive, Xi purged close to one million
office bearers including rival Bo Xilai
as part of the clean-up of the system.
Pursuant to narrative setting exercise a colossal attempt is
made to reinterpret the history of China. Anyone who deviates from the party’s
historical narrative is taken to task. As has been the case with Fang Fang’s
Wuhan Diary, any literature that pillories the regime’s effort of coverup is
systematically erased. All the inconvenient truths are being buried.
Commemorating the event, China’s education ministry held
closed-door meetings with various scholars warranting them to be careful of
what they write and say about the CCP’s grip on China’s history. Appealing them
to be cautious about their presentation of events like the violent land
redistribution campaign in 1950s that claimed lives of 2 million and other
atrocities of Supreme leader Mao Zedong. Accordingly, all historical
information inimical to the reputation of CCP and its leaders is going to be
marked off as classified. Cadres are put through an ideological training
regimen and Xi has been publicly administering pledges to the senior cadres to
implant the “red gene”.
To firm up his position as “core for life” of CCP leadership,
Xi’s achievements are lionised, glorifying his position, his teachings are
turned into a religion and he is deified. Heralding his status as the
authoritative interpreter of CCP history, Xi has even “redoubled efforts to
clamp down on dissent among intellectuals and even former top cadres while also
reining in leading private entrepreneurs whose wealth and influence may detract
from the all-embracing powers of the party. Finally, Xi, who is also chairman
of CMC that oversees the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), has masterminded a
housecleaning of nation’s military and police forces”3.
Xi’s empowerment of the party is now a common refrain. Having
eliminated the power limits three years ago, Xi, 68 is bound to remain in power
till 2028 or later. With his unparalleled accomplishments both in economic and
diplomatic frontiers, which pale in comparison to Mao and Deng, is inching
closer to etching his name in the annals of Chinese history and constitution as
well. Laying claims to the title of “transformational leader”, who has no
equals in the contemporary history, he has literally ossified the party cadres.
But Xi’s operational style has undermined the doctrine of
collective leadership and orderly succession. Orders passed from the top are to
be executed. Everyone is restrained. Autonomy of local and regional officials
is hindered. Participation of local villagers has shrunk as any suggestion is
deemed as trigger to political instability.
Anything that posed threat to CCP’s monopoly of power is
eliminated or blunted. The private sector, which is now the top-performer in
China is taking the brunt. Sudden disappearance of high-profile players from
public view, placement of CCP cadres in the higher echelons of the private
enterprises and imposition of heavy fines for infringement of the anti-monopoly
laws are enforced to subdue their influence.
Even as China is busy employing technology to address
“historical nilihism” (a term used in China to describe public doubt and
scepticism over CCP’s description of past events) wherein 2 million posts
inimical to CCP in various websites are cleansed4,
the tyranny of Xi’s authoritarianism and his dictatorial tendencies are now
affecting the global order. With no checks and balances in place, Xi’s unbridled
power is having a bearing on this World.
Ahead of CCP’s Centenary celebrations, 40 countries led by
Canada introduced a resolution against China at UNHRC for its actions in
Hongkong, Tibet and called for access to Xinjiang region to probe the human
rights status. Beijing rejected the charges and despite the backlash from the
West, China refused to cooperate any investigation. Though China continues to
deny, numerous testimonies and complaints of disappearance its vehement
disapproval for international probe has only confirmed the worst fears. But
what really made news is coercive diplomacy of China that caused Ukraine to
pull out its name from the joint statement at the council over threat of
stalling of vaccine shipment.
The closure of the Apple Daily, a lone pro-democracy voice in
Hongkong last week by freezing the assets of the owner Jimmy Lai under the
newly enacted national security law illustrates the power dominance, control
and subjugation of CCP.
Ordained by President Deng Xiaoping’s 24-character strategy
in the aftermath of global backlash against the Tiananmen crackdown which
roughly translates into- “observe calmly; secure our position; cope with
affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a
low profile; and never claim leadership”5
China maintained a low profile for long. Eventually this remained the
central tenet of China’s foreign policy till late 2000s.
By 2010 when China surpassed Japan as the second largest
economy, shedding away these pretensions, President Xi Jinping who assumed
charge in 2013, enunciated Chinese Dream with a stated objective of “Chinese
rejuvenation”. Invoking the national fervour, recalling the days of foreign
invasion, referring to the century of humiliation (1849-1949) unleashed bold
initiatives to reshape the World. With a declaration “we should unswervingly
uphold socialism with Chinese characteristics…. the superiority of our system
will be fully demonstrated through a brighter future”6, Xi
underscored the paramount importance of a robust communist party.
The unabashed aggressiveness hallmark of Xi’s regime
emboldened the latent expansionist tendencies of the CCP. Indulging in a
triumphalist narrative and reinforcing its dominance, China insisted on a
nine-dash line in South China Sea, non-existent before 1940s and laid claims to
90% of maritime region. Evading the constitutional principle of “one country
two system” China stifled the basic freedom of Hongkong. Deeming Taiwan as
renegade province under “One China policy”, Beijing renewed annexation bids,
intimidatory tactics and intensified air incursions. Reminiscent of the imperialistic
practices of the West, capitalising on the infrastructure development pursuits
of small countries, China through a global connectivity initiative plunged them
into debt-traps. Weaponising trade and water to settle scores with adversaries
and lower riparian countries, Beijing with trope of “win-win cooperation”
eventually emerged as a “bully”
Notwithstanding the global skepticism of being originator of
the covid pandemic, Beijing launched Wolf Warrior diplomats in its defence,
unveiled mask diplomacy, used covid supplies as strategic weapons. Not
satisfied with this global infamy, China exported its WHO-approved vaccines to
over 60 countries. The efficacy of these vaccines is under scanner with at
least 10 of 26 doctors who received Chinese vaccines in Indonesia died of
Covid. Seychelles, Chile Mongolia, Bahrain, UAE, Indonesia which relied on
China vaccines have reported a massive surge in infections7.
Under pandemic cover, China stealthily ingressed the LAC
which resulted in bloody clashes for the first since 1967 reinvigorating the
border tensions with India. More than a year to the stand-off China is steadily
entrenched across the LAC. In violation of all bilateral agreements Beijing
amassed troops and is attempting to unilaterally change the status quo by
ramping up infrastructure development close to LAC. To arm-twist India, as per
latest reports, China has even reportedly occupied 5% Bhutan territory as well.
China’s hegemonic aspirations blew lid of the much touted
“peaceful rise” paradigm. Coincidentally, China’s favourability ratings have
plummeted. As China readies to sing paeans in glory of CCP, the emerging
superpower has irretrievably consolidated its position as a revisionist power.
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