http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/12/the-post-democratic-future-begins-in-china/ Watching China Politics from Cyberspace Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/12/the-post-democratic-future-begins-in-china/#comment-60531 Will Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:12:46 +0000 http://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=149163#comment-60531 Professor of Economics Yasheng Huang’s argument cites the living Chinese cultural example of Taiwan’s democracy, and is far more convincing that venture capitalist Eric Li’s unfounded claim that the PRC’s one-party authoritarian rule is “meritocratic.” Does Li seriously believe that the CCP princelings did not and have not enjoyed special privileges and access to wealth and power simply by the accident of birth into a high cadre’s family? Of course, Li has gotten rich under the PRC’s authoritarian bureaucratic capitalist system and wants it to continue unchanged.

]]> http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/12/the-post-democratic-future-begins-in-china/#comment-60529 Andy Macdonald Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:51:02 +0000 http://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=149163#comment-60529 “Without freedom, there is no real democracy. Without guarantee of economic and political rights, there is no real freedom.” Seems to pay lip service to democracy, but in fact implies that freedom & democracy will be based on the Party guaranteeing the underlying economic and political rights (of the working class?). Whether freedom and democracy can flourish under the Party’s supervision depends on how corrupt or how ‘pure’ the party can be. Wasn’t this what Mao was worried about when he (& others) instigated the cultural revolution? That struggle will always have relevance to the situation in China while the Party retains control. The fact that the cultural revolution of the 60s largely failed in its aims while creating a lot of death and suffering in the country, doesn’t bode well for the CCP.

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