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What was wrong with that prediction? Its failure to materialize raises many other questions. Are the ideological doctrines once shared with the Soviet Union still prevalent in China? Or has China truly abandoned Marxism for marketism? Will an increasingly powerful China use its economic and military might to threaten the world? Will it spark confrontation with the Western countries, especially the United States, and create another Cold War?
Superficial observation may lead one to conclude that China will indeed become more unpredictable and threatening, more likely to take advantage of its power in international relations, raising the probability of conflicts. Indeed, the traditional doctrines of communism would promote violence as the road to the eventual realization of a true communist state; perpetual class struggle between the bourgeois and the workers; and public ownership of the means of production, so that no private property would be allowed. A socialist state in this traditional sense would be destined to conflict with stronger powers, especially with big capitalist countries.
These were the doctrines practiced by the former Soviet Union, especially among the Warsaw bloc, composed mainly of Eastern European countries headed by what is now Russia. Undeniably, the same doctrines were pursued feverishly in China, especially during the era of the Cultural Revolution from 1966-1976.
China has not abandoned its communist identity. However, it is quite different from the China of three decades ago, in terms of its state socialist system, its communist ideology and its ambition to challenge existing powers.
Historically, China has lacked a dynamic tendency to take the initiative in seizing power or seeking supremacy. Looking back over its long history, one would find China more often in a defensive position, rather than taking the offensive in dealing with other nations. The construction of the Great Wall was a defensive act to prevent invasion from the north. Even at the zenith of its power, during the Han and Tang dynasties, China implemented a good neighbor policy with Japan, Korea and other Asian countries. During the Ming Dynasty, despite great achievements in sailing as far as Africa, China never attempted to expand its territory to distant lands.
The People's Republic of China has continued this policy. Since its founding in 1949, China has been cooperative rather than aggressive in dealing with other nations. One may point out that China has taken part in several wars -- in Korea, India and Vietnam -- but in these wars China's role was supportive or defensive. China never tried to overthrow an enemy government and leave its troops behind as an occupying force. Since the 1990s China has actually resolved border disputes with Russia and Vietnam, and is working to resolve similar issues with other countries through peaceful negotiations. China has refrained from using its power to resolve such matters.
China, in fact, has never been a country guided purely by ideology. Although according to its Constitution China follows a form of socialism, essentially China is more practical than ideological. China's actions have never been restricted to the doctrines of traditional communism.
In the 1950s China began to deviate from the Soviet Union in ideology. Even in the midst of the Cultural Revolution China diverged dramatically from the Soviet Union and aligned itself with the United States, Japan and other Western countries to fight against "revisionism," a communism doctrine promoted by Moscow. Since 1979 China has actually given up collective communism, adopting instead the policy of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The present Chinese leadership is still abiding by this principle and is committed to building a harmonious society in China and the world.
There are many possible interpretations of China's orientation and practices, yet the essential elements may be attributed to its history and deeply rooted philosophy. China's name means "The Middle Kingdom," and that is how it viewed itself. It was central, inward-looking, and other states were peripheral. It was agricultural, depending on the land rather than the ocean. Philosophically, China has for centuries held to the Confucian belief in the principle of the Golden Mean, advocating the middle road, renouncing extremism, seeking balance and harmony in all aspects of life, and desiring peaceful relationships with others.
The key to China's current ideological stance is the term "Chinese characteristics." Chinese are infinitely practical people, and as they have shown through their recent rapid rise, capable of adjusting to changing circumstances. This will continue to be China's strength in the years to come.
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(Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a PhD candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. He is currently a research fellow at the School of International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, under a grant by the Korea Foundation. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
