China

The widening income gap in China and the resulting social explosions, threatening the interests of the ruling bureaucracy and capitalists, is a top item on the agenda of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. In a bid to ease the revolt, the 11th five-year economic plan is nominally focusing on more equal distribution, but this cannot solve the contradictions created by the move towards capitalism.

On February 22, the Chinese government shut down the China Workers' Website and Discussion Lists, a website that allowed Chinese workers and farmers to discuss their struggles and the problems they face. The developments and changes in China are of extreme significance for workers and youth of the whole world and in this regard, this interview, conducted by Stephen Philion for the Monthly Review Magazine, is extremely interesting and important, and provides an insight into the conditions of the Chinese workers, youth and peasants.

We are publishing an exchange of letters between a Chinese Communist, RY, and Fred Weston of the Marxist.com Editorial Board. They give an insight to the problems that many genuine Chinese Communists are facing, as China moves further and further down the road of capitalism.

Since the era of Deng Xiaoping China has been moving ever closer to capitalism. What started as an attempt to use market criteria to push forward economic growth within the context of an economy still dominated by the public sector, took on a momentum of its own. Now we have capitalist relations dominating. This article was first published in Italian in the Marxist journal FalceMartello.

An interesting piece by Lenin in which he develops a Marxist approach to a predatory imperialist war on the part of Tsarist Russia against China, with many lessons that can be applied to today's situation. The Tsarist regime claimed it was fighting “barbarism” and “civilising” China. The war was presented as one between “cultures”. Over one hundred years later the same arguments are being used by Bush to justify his war in Iraq.

An interesting letter from a reader in China, who points out that the dominant mode of production in that country is now capitalism. He asks the question; “following the full market economy then how can we class the current leadership of China, what class are they supporting?”

Following on from the letter we published a few weeks ago, another reader in China has added his thoughts to the discussion. He highlights particularly the growing disparity between different social layers in Chinese society, a result of the development of capitalism, which is destroying all the gains of the past.

The introduction of the “market economy”, i.e. capitalism, in China is provoking massive social contradictions: extreme poverty at one end, extreme wealth at the other. But a gigantic proletariat is also being created, the “gravediggers” of capitalism, as Marx used to say.

We are publishing a letter we recently received from a reader in China, who considers himself a Marxist. Although we would not necessarily agree with every point he makes, the letter does give a very interesting insight into what is happening in Chinese society.

Recent nationalist, anti-Japanese demonstrations have brought to the surface many contradictions within Chinese society and also between China and its main rivals. The authorities have tolerated these demonstrations, as they do not threaten the regime as such. It shows how far the so-called Chinese Communist Party has degenerated in its ever-growing embrace of capitalism and all the monstrosities that go with it.

China’s drive to the “socialist market” has fostered a booming economy, but concealed behind this is a mass of contradictions. In spite of the growth a crisis is inevitable. A terrible price is being paid by the working class for the drive to a market economy. Heiko Khoo looks at the real face of China.

Today marks 15 years since the tragic defeat of the movement of workers and students in Tienanment Square. To mark this important day we are publishing this latest analysis by Rob Lyon.

The Tiananmen Square demonstrations began in April 1989 in support of former Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yoabang, who had been ousted from power in 1987 for opposing the harsh punishment of participants in demonstrations at Tiananmen Square in 1986. Hu Yoabang was seen as a party leader who supported greater democracy and freedom for Chinese workers and students. The students were deeply opposed to a campaign initiated by the Communist Party to discredit the former party leader.

We received this letter from China. It gives an interesting insight into the real state of the Chinese Communist Party. It shows how far this organisation has degenerated. Faced with the growing social polarisation between the enriched bureaucracy and the ordinary working masses, the Chinese workers need to return to the revolutionary ideas that the early Chinese Communists based themselves on, the ideas of Lenin.