Xi knows how very corrupt China is and is repulsed by
the all-encompassing commercialization of Chinese society,
with its attendant nouveau riche, official corruption, loss
of values, dignity, and self-respect, and such "moral evils"
as drugs and prostitution, the professor stated. The
professor speculated that if Xi were to become the Party
General Secretary, he would likely aggressively attempt to
address these evils, perhaps at the expense of the new
moneyed class.
The professor said that he and others found dramatically different ways to “survive” the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. While the professor and his closest circle of friends descended into the pursuit of romantic relationships, drink, movies and Western literature as a release from the hardships of the time, Xi Jinping, by contrast “chose to survive by becoming redder than the red.”
Xi also does not care at all about money and is not corrupt, the professor stated. Xi can afford to be incorruptible, the professor wryly noted, given that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. It is likely that Xi could, however, be “corrupted by power.”
In all of the "is China just capitalism painted red, or is it actually trying to achieve communism?" discussions, I'm not sure I've seen this point brought up: it's near-impossible for a committed communist to rise through the political ranks of a truly capitalist country, but that at least appears to be possible in China.
This doesn't settle the debate, but the ease with which leftists can gain real political power seems like an enormous difference between China and any country that's unarguably capitalist.
This is China we’re talking about. Communism or not, these values are going to be dominant in society, especially accounting for china’s unique history involving the opium wars and western exploitation.
he would likely aggressively attempt to address these evils
Hmmm trying to fix the contradictions of capital without changing the material basis of production, probably not a coincidence those "moral vices" are indistinguishable from redditors whining about "big corporations are ruining our values"
Hmmm trying to fix the contradictions of capital without changing the material basis of production
Isn't China currently looking into nationalizing industries? Not to say nationalized enterprise is literally socialism, because it isn't, but it is a step in that direction and is definitely at least a change in the economic base.
The skeleton of their economy ("the commanding heights of industry") has been nationalized all this time, even through the whole rightward turn from Deng to Hu. But in addition to this, over the last 15ish years specifically the government has been accelerating its takeover of private corporations, leading to public ownership, spending, etc. being an increasingly larger part of the economy. The CPC is also inserting supervisors into leadership of private companies that have yet to be nationalized.
Other interesting bits from that article:
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In all of the "is China just capitalism painted red, or is it actually trying to achieve communism?" discussions, I'm not sure I've seen this point brought up: it's near-impossible for a committed communist to rise through the political ranks of a truly capitalist country, but that at least appears to be possible in China.
This doesn't settle the debate, but the ease with which leftists can gain real political power seems like an enormous difference between China and any country that's unarguably capitalist.
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ngl, this is conservative as fuck. I don't know how a communist could spout this "moral evil" bullshit. .
This is China we’re talking about. Communism or not, these values are going to be dominant in society, especially accounting for china’s unique history involving the opium wars and western exploitation.
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lots of Asian countries have this exact sentiment. Japan in particular with cancel any famous person caught doing a drug.
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:xi-shining:
Hmmm trying to fix the contradictions of capital without changing the material basis of production, probably not a coincidence those "moral vices" are indistinguishable from redditors whining about "big corporations are ruining our values"
Isn't China currently looking into nationalizing industries? Not to say nationalized enterprise is literally socialism, because it isn't, but it is a step in that direction and is definitely at least a change in the economic base.
The skeleton of their economy ("the commanding heights of industry") has been nationalized all this time, even through the whole rightward turn from Deng to Hu. But in addition to this, over the last 15ish years specifically the government has been accelerating its takeover of private corporations, leading to public ownership, spending, etc. being an increasingly larger part of the economy. The CPC is also inserting supervisors into leadership of private companies that have yet to be nationalized.