I don't think it's so much that capitalism is a progressive force as much as the CPC is a progressive force. In the West, all capitalist enterprises are private and driven solely by profit motive, whereas the CPC is, at least in theory, concerned with the well-being of the nation.
For instance, Raytheon will charge the US government make 100 missiles at $10M each that cost them $100K to make because that is the profit maximizing number of missiles, regardless of whether the US military wants or needs more. In China, the CPC has control over the economy, even if it is still a capitalist one. They can come in and tell their defense contractors they are going to make 5,000 missiles at $200K each. They will have spent as much as the US on missiles, and their defense contractors still made a hefty profit, but China has more missiles an order of magnitude. In the West, there are largely no governments both willing and able to dictate such terms, so the country pays a hefty premium for less weapony than the military believes it needs.
Arms manufacturing probably isn't the best example of "progressive forces" but I think it illustrates the extent to which it's not about capitalism as much as who is holding the reigns.
I don't think it's so much that capitalism is a progressive force as much as the CPC is a progressive force. In the West, all capitalist enterprises are private and driven solely by profit motive, whereas the CPC is, at least in theory, concerned with the well-being of the nation.
For instance, Raytheon will charge the US government make 100 missiles at $10M each that cost them $100K to make because that is the profit maximizing number of missiles, regardless of whether the US military wants or needs more. In China, the CPC has control over the economy, even if it is still a capitalist one. They can come in and tell their defense contractors they are going to make 5,000 missiles at $200K each. They will have spent as much as the US on missiles, and their defense contractors still made a hefty profit, but China has more missiles an order of magnitude. In the West, there are largely no governments both willing and able to dictate such terms, so the country pays a hefty premium for less weapony than the military believes it needs.
Arms manufacturing probably isn't the best example of "progressive forces" but I think it illustrates the extent to which it's not about capitalism as much as who is holding the reigns.
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Which begs the very important question, is the nation/nationalism a progressive force? Doubtful imo
That is the confine within which the CPC must operate. There is no grand communist union for them to cooperate with.