On The Centennial Of The Chinese Communist Party
On The Centennial Of The Chinese Communist Party, EconoSpeak, Barkley Rosser
July 1, 2021 is now over in China but for a few more moments it is still the centennial of the CCP where I am. Just a couple of observations. This is partly driven by seeing multiple posts on Econbrowser by “ltr” praising the CCP and not allowing for even a hint of crirticism.
So indeed there is much to praise in the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) today, with indeed by and large the CCP able to take credit for leading to these outcomes. These include such widely publicized matters as apparently eliminating deep poverty, having a successful space program that is matching achievements made by the US in the past and is moving into new ones in the future such as a joint moon base with Russia. It also includes developing a substantial solar energy industry, and getting the largest real economy in the world according to PPP GDP measure. There is much more, a lot more.
Of course, most critics note current problems that are being either ignored or lied about, with the treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang at the top of the list. But policy in other minority areas such as Tibet, suppression of liberties in Hong Kong, aggressive policies towards many neighbors, and suppression of efforts to determine the origin of the Covid-19 virus.
However, I think the CCP should be willing to admit some past disasters, especially as they can argue they have moved beyond them, overcome them. At the top of this list is the massive famine in which millions died that accompanied the Great Leap Forward. There is also the horrible mistreatment of many people during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. These were excesses of Maoism. But they were overcome by following the Dengist reforms later, with Deng Xiaoping labeling the Mao legacy ad 70% good and 30% bad.
More deeply there is the problem that if one compares the PRC to the ROC, the government on Taiwan, which predated the CCP, its record is simply far superior. Aside from things that can be achieved by a very large country, Taiwan has a superior performance on pretty much all economic, social, and political measures. The latter not only is a functioning two party democracy, but it has a far higher real per capita income, as well as much greater income equality.
The CCP could have done a lot better.
Barkley Rosser
How much time did the ROC have to redirect the nation without having a hot war on its hands, compared to the comparative peace the PRC has had for the last 70+ years? The ROC never really had a quiet time, with the Chinese Communists in rebellion immediately after WW1, the Japanese rampaging all over northern (and then southern) East Asia in the 1930s, and the CCP resuming its war against the ROC in the 1940s. Almost anyone could have done better under those circumstances.