The Chinese Political System is Not a Meritocracy (Opinion)

By Sam Crane on July 25, 2012

Daniel A. Bell has a piece today in the CSM, arguing that the PRC political system is, basically, a meritocracy that holds lessons that might correct the flaws of US democracy.  Bell is a philosopher and he tends to operate in normative terms (i.e. what a meritocracy ought to be; what a democracy ought to be; how the ideal of meritocracy might improve democracy).  I do not want to engage with the normative questions because there is a rather glaring empirical problem: the current Chinese political system is not a meritocracy by the definition Bell puts forth.  And I think we could push a bit further to say that, in fact, the imperial Chinese system was not a meritocracy either, if we consider a somewhat broader definition of that term.

Law, Politics, Society
Confucianism, Political System, Democracy

Propaganda Chief Leaves a Legacy of Control

By Amy Qin on July 24, 2012

Monday’s top story was the torrential rains and flooding that thrashed Beijing over the weekend and left at least thirty-seven people dead. Only one non-flood related news item made the cut for the front page of the Beijing Daily, the local Party-controlled conservative newspaper, that day—the passing of former head of the Central Propaganda Department, Ding Guan’gen. According to the announcement made by Xinhua, China’s state news agency, Ding died on Sunday, July 22 in Beijing of an unspecified illness. He was eighty-three.

Guangzhou’s Rubbish Charge Struggle

on July 24, 2012

Like many of China’s rapidly growing cities, Guangzhou is under siege from landfill. The southern city produces about 18,000 tons of household waste every day, 14,000 tons of which needs to be disposed of after sorting and recycling. That is as much as the city can handle. Some of the waste is incinerated, but most is sent to landfill, and dumping grounds are slowly surrounding the city.

A Slowdown is Good for China and the World

By Michael Pettis on July 24, 2012

What the rest of the world needs from China is not faster growth but more demand. Rebalancing will provide that, although the trade surplus will probably rise before it begins to decline. This will result in falling prices for hard commodities, and so will hurt countries such as Australia and Brazil, but rising Chinese demand and lower commodity prices are good for global growth overall.

Economy
Economic Growth, Trade, Finance

An Inside Look at China’s Most Famous Political Prisoner

By Mark McDonald on July 24, 2012

Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the most famous political prisoner in China, has now served about one-fourth of his 11-year sentence for seeking democratic reforms. The government, at his trial, said Mr. Liu was guilty of “inciting the subversion of state power.” When one of his comrades in dissent, the provocative essayist Yu Jie, began writing a biography of Mr. Liu a couple years ago, the authorities got wind of it. They hauled him in for interrogation and threatened him with prison if the book was published. Then, to reinforce their message, they put him under house arrest for a time.

Politics
Liu Xiaobo

Stirring Up the South China Sea (II) 

Regional Responses

on July 24, 2012

The South China Sea dispute between China and some of its South East Asian neighbours - Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei - has reached an impasse. Increasingly assertive positions among claimants have pushed regional tensions to new heights. Driven by potential hydrocarbon reserves and declining fish stocks, Vietnam and the Philippines in particular are taking a more confrontational posture with China. All claimants are expanding their military and law enforcement capabilities, while growing nationalism at home is empowering hardliners pushing for a tougher stance on territorial claims. In addition, claimants are pursuing divergent resolution mechanisms; Beijing insists on resolving the disputes bilaterally, while Vietnam and the Philippines are actively engaging the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). To counter diminishing prospects of resolution of the conflicts, the countries should strengthen efforts to promote joint development of hydrocarbon and fish resources and adopt a binding code of conduct for all parties to the dispute. The extent and vagueness of China's claims to the South China Sea, along with its assertive approach, have rattled other claimants. But China is not stoking tensions on its own. South East Asian claimants, with Vietnam and the Philippines in the forefront, are now more forcefully defending their claims - and enlisting outside allies - with considerable energy.

Embed Code: 
View the PDF on Document Cloud
Topics: 
Politics
Keywords: 
South China Sea
Diplomacy
Nationalism
Vietnam
Philippines
Organization: 
International Crisis Group

International Crisis Group

on July 24, 2012

Publication Logo Featured: 
Publication Logo Vertical: 
Publication Link: 
Visit the homepage of International Crisis Group
Publication Logo Header: 
Social Links: 

From their website:

Crisis Group decides which situations to cover based on a number of factors. These include: the seriousness of a situation, whether we can add value to international understanding and response, whether we have or can raise the necessary resources to ensure high-quality reporting and effective follow-through, and whether we can safely operate in the field.

Ding Guangen, Former China Propaganda Chief, Dies at 83

on July 23, 2012

Ding Guangen, a former chief of propaganda for the Chinese Communist Party, died here in Beijing on Sunday. He was 83. His death was announced by Xinhua, China’s state news agency, which did not specify the cause. Mr. Ding stepped down in 2002 after a decade overseeing the Communist Party’s control of the news media and the arts in China. He had been minister of railways in the 1980s but was forced to resign in 1988 after a series of train crashes killed scores of people.

 

Media, Politics
Political Transition, Media