Contemporary China: A Lesson for Developing Countries

This essay delves into the governance model of contemporary China, positioning it as a potential source of valuable lessons for developing countries. It begins by highlighting the importance of education, technology, and political frameworks for rapid economic growth. The paper then contrasts the political and economic landscapes of OECD countries with China, exploring the latter's unique approach to governance and its impact on economic development. The essay analyzes the political revolution in China, including its shift towards collective membership and centralized bureaucracy. It examines key aspects of Chinese political ideology, including traditionalism, communism, and liberalism, as well as the philosophical underpinnings of their political thinking. The paper also discusses the selection of quality political leaders, the maintenance of social balance, and the influence of the middle class in China's economy. Furthermore, it acknowledges criticisms of China's governance, such as the lack of judicial independence and accountability, while also exploring the paradoxes in restructuring the Chinese governance. The essay concludes by emphasizing the potential for OECD countries to learn from China's political ideology, particularly its blend of liberal democratic rule and Confucian principles, to foster economic development.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING
COUNTRIES
CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT: A LESSON
FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author Note:

1CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING COUNTRIES
Introduction
For countries to experience rapid economic growth, they need to educate citizens and
social and employ new technologies. The development of human societies requires a change
in the political framework of the nation through its citizens and government policies. The
paper presents how China is considered as an economy with a different political ideology is
used as a tool to help the OECD countries in re-framing their political framework. It
discusses the nature of OCED countries and their present scenario along with the political
revolution of China. The paper also focuses on how the solutions are taken from the Chinese
government with the Chinese values implemented in the actions of ruling a nation can bring
economic development in a democratic country.
Discussion
OECD Countries
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is a combination of 35
nations with a goal to the economic welfare of its member countries. The association body
compares policies, seek solutions to global problems and also help the under-developed
economies around the globe through its provision of statistical data on the economic
functioning of its member nations. The various members of OECD are United Kingdom,
Austria, Belgium, Germany, and United States along with other countries accounting on
overall 63 per cent of GDP globally with three-quarters of world trade, fifty per cent of
world’s energy consumption and 18 per cent of the world’s population.
Present scenario of OECD countries
The OECD countries, however, are indicating low economic development in certain
areas like employment and equal distribution of income and wealth. On average in 2017,
8.1% of young workers falling in age category below 30 were under-employed while older
workers above 30 and below 60 with 4.9% being under-employed. There is inequality found
in employment structure accounting to 7.9% of female workers across the OECD were under-
employed compared with only 3.2% of males in 2017 (Cingano 2014). Child poverty has
been increased more than fifty per cent in OECD countries since the early 1990s where one
child out of seven lives reside in poverty in poor households leading to child labour and
hazardous operations by children. The increasing trade conflicts between the United States
and China has created risks in financial markets with the economic growth amounting to

2CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING COUNTRIES
2.9% in 2019 and estimated 3% in 2020 - the weakest annual growth rate recorded (Oecd.org,
2019). The climate change in terms of global warming and the changing business models due
to digitalisation with political tensions across the geographical borders are affecting global
GDP growth in the coming years. There is a high level of corporate debt in the countries too.
Reason for which OECD countries should follow China’s footsteps in bringing economic
development from a political perspective
China’s growth is declining but is stagnant in terms of international trade contributing
about a quarter of global growth. Despite the sales growth going down in recent months,
Apple and other multinational companies in China continue to be the world’s best revenue
earning companies. Even though due to trade conflicts with the USA there is reduced trade
revenue, however, the consumption contributed to more than 60 per cent of the country’s
GDP making China the largest consumer market in the world. China can be an influence on
other developing economies through its policies on trade, investment, and ideas (Woetzel et
al., 2018). The OECD countries have shown a reduction in their economic growth due to high
unemployment ratios accompanied by migration, poverty and income equality. The main
reason behind this is a faulty governance structure. The creation of stable political institutions
are required to bring economic growth in the first place; otherwise, their absence will evoke
conflict, violence, and poverty (Fukyuma, n.d., pp.317–360).
The Political Revolution of China (Brief)
China has considered collective membership of individuals at all levels from peasants
to upper class in politics rather than a claim to individual. The political rights in China were a
grant given by the nation to its citizens in order to make them contribute their energies as per
the needs of the nation (Perry, 2020). Since the 1990s, China’s economic reform has been of
vengeance. The government of China, however, aims to make the nation into a prosperous
society at a moderate level by 2020 (Mitter, 2008, pp.40–102). China created a centralised
bureaucracy with civil service examination system to select government officials. However,
this bureaucracy imposed land taxes on peasants and strict measure for promotion of
commerce which brought protests from peasants, bringing the era of Mao (Perry, 2020). The
nation was strong enough to be highly tyrannical in confiscating the property of its elites
through high taxes. Mao being as a firm believer of mass participation said decisions must be
taken from the mass and be supplied to the mass in any political scenario. He believed that

3CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING COUNTRIES
the citizens of the nation must be organised and controlled. The Maoist era was heavily
dependent on equality, liberty and fraternity (Zhong and Hua, n.d., pp.30–50).
The lesson I: The Political Ideology of China
There are three political-belief systems exist in China today which are traditionalism,
communism, and liberalism. The Chinese political system follows Confucius principles
assuming that good governance can be framed with a choice of educated political leaders
high in wisdom. It also holds rationalist and individualism principles through communism for
economic progress. In terms of liberal democracy with freedom of human rights and a
transparent legal structure to mitigate corruption is practised for bringing economic
development in the building a harmonious society.
Lesson II: A Philosophical Political Thinking
In 1894 when the Sino-Japanese war occurred, it resulted in China's defeat where
China had to pay a heavy indemnity. Since the civilisation has begun, the Chinese people
never regarded the government as the highest statute of social organisation. Their political
thinking has been in terms of humankind and world peace with the togetherness of family
values and patriotism for the nation. China showed little desire to resist outside forces and
never realised the requirement of special effort for national recognition. Under the rule of
autocratic government under which for thousands of years, liberty and equality as principal
values have not been demolished inside the hearts of people. Everyone in China is equal in
the eyes of the law with public rights. The legal framework of a country is critical in
promoting the overall economic growth and development of its citizens. The teachings of the
forefathers are accepted as the ultimate laws of nature (CHI-CHAO, 2017, p.27-30). The
independence of old China from the foreign invaders has created the fundamental notion in
the hearts of Chinese citizens of choosing the social and political systems on their own in the
form of socio-economic justice (Perry, 2020). The government of China gives crucial
importance to the right of the minimum standard of living of people in the nation as the basic
principle. This Chinese political philosophy has been practised from Mencius to Mao—and
beyond.
Lesson III: Choice of Quality Political Leaders
China’s political system has been upgraded on a merit scale since Mao’s days. The
political leaders get chosen through examinations and based on their educational background.

4CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING COUNTRIES
In Shujing, the ancient Chinese philosophical book where according to Mencius, in Mandate
of Heaven where the leadership is taken away from immoral rulers and is delivered on
virtuous duty holders who are worthy of replacing them. The success in the economic growth
of a country relies on the selection of the government officials ruling that particular country.
The political thought of the Chinese, "to govern is to provide for the people which gives due
importance in the development of people, thus as an outcome the economic development of
the country get high (CHI-CHAO, 2017 p.35). The significant leadership changes,
bureaucratic bargaining, and the need to create a secure environment for economic
development with changes in the economy capabilities evolved China’s conceptions (Li
2014).
Lesson IV: Maintaining social balance in the economy
After the era of Mao which ended the Cultural Revolution, there were no classes in
China with all citizens lying below the poverty line in equal proportions. However, the
standard of living as dramatically improved from past times. The urban areas have seen high
development while the rural areas have slowly developed. With the rural population
accounting to sixty per cent, it is in better terms indicating a stagnant growth of economic
development. In order for China to continue its economic growth, with a significant section
lying in the poor rural section, the capacity for creation of wealth to entrepreneurs will not
help in curbing the problem of low development (Kuhn, 2010, pp.30–45). In order to
maintain harmony among the social classes in order to avoid social class conflict, the nation
permits communist parties to operate for the material well-being of the rural section of the
country. Thus, the political leaders provide transparency in government with the collective
decision and increasing the power of everyday people’s party at local and regional levels to
ensure social stability. This lead to a different kind of democracy focusing on the social and
economic needs of all social classes and their rights. There are Chinese peasant communities
who provide informal feedback for local officials regarding complaints and ideas for better
delivery of government services. There are also complaint channels created by the
government for citizens to register their views offering freedom of speech (Fukyuma, n.d.,
pp.317–360).
Lesson V: Middle class as big influencers in the economy
The future of law and democracy in China depend on these social groups who are the middle
class shifting the perfect balance of power between state and society (Fukyuma, n.d., pp.317–

5CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING COUNTRIES
360). According to Fukuyama, the middle class are an essential agent of political
development because the rising expectations of the middle class in the political representation
of leaders create political tensions, respectively. The middle classes in China choose to
support those authoritarian rulers who promise them stability and protection in their property
rights (Alpermann, 2016). As they represent the largest segment of society, they prefer that
ruler who will benefit for their material interests leading to corrupt rules ruling the country in
the name of democracy.
China: Moving towards degradation
China lacks in its facts of the rule of law having no judicial independence. China is
also criticised for lacking accountability in the responsiveness of the Chinese government to
people’s appeals. Fukuyama’s knowledge about China is presumed to be limited to the old
impression than the western world (Yang, 2016). As compared to other countries, there exist
three paradoxes in restructuring the Chinese governance. Firstly an open and free market with
price controls, secondly a dual government controlled by the central government and thirdly
limitation of social organisations (He and Wang, 2016). This quasi-decentralized governance
leads to a deficient social safety net and absorption of profits capitalising the public power.
Thus it leads to injustices among the distribution of rights and wealth among society.
Nevertheless, there resides a weakness in the political thinking of China where Lincoln’s
principle “by the people” is untouched because they believe that a nation in possession of
people and the productivity on individual terms is a means of advantage to them (CHI-
CHAO, 2017 p. 28-31). Thus while rules govern contemporary China, it does not have a legal
system that takes on the fundamental duty to protect private property. The Chinese law courts
lack an excellent legal framework than courts in Europe, North America, and Japan. The act
of balancing the law and political order on the nation with accountability has been only
partially accomplished in China (Fukyuma, n.d., pp.317–360).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the political leaders from OECD countries should learn from
contemporary China its political ideology of a liberal democratic rule policy combing both
the Confucius principles with communist policies instead of autocratic and democratic rules.
They should also ensure a fair policy with balancing of the social classes in the nation to curb
the poverty and income inequality along with the philosophical, political thinking of
humanity. The countries should put the welfare of its citizens in the priority list than the

6CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING COUNTRIES
economic growth in terms of industrialisation only. The paper also devises that how a good
governance rest in choice of better quality educated leaders following China’s government
techniques along with influencing the middle class, which constitute a significant portion in
the society.
References
Zhong, Y. and Hua, S. (n.d.). POLITICAL CIVILIZATION AND MODERNIZATION IN
CHINA. 2006th ed. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd, pp.30–50.
Alpermann, B. (2016). Fukuyama and the Chinese middle class: modernisation theory 1.5.
[online] Taylor and Francis Group, pp.1–18. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23812346.2016.1212547.
Bell, D.A. (n.d.). The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy.
2016th ed. Princeton University Press, pp.22–26.
CHI-CHAO, L. (2017). HISTORY OF CHINESE POLITICAL THOUGHT During the Early
Tsin Period. [online] Taylor and Francis group, pp.12–38. Available at:
file:///C:/Users/LAPTOP_MP322/Downloads/9781315823034_googlepreview.pdf.
Cingano, F., 2014. Trends in income inequality and its impact on economic growth.
Fukuyama, F.F. and Niblett, D.R. (2014). Political Order and Political Decay. [online]
Chatham House- The Royal Institute of International Human Affairs, pp.1–8. Available at:
https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/184070/20140922PoliticalOrderDecay.pdf.
Fukuyama, F. (n.d.). Political Order and Political Decay. New York, pp.317–360.
He, Y. and Wang, G. (2016). Order in chaos: re-understand social instability in China.
[online] Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/23812346.2016.1172401.
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/47123848-en.pdf?
expires=1578985216&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=232619364D3801D3E9AB272608
82787E
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/c69de229-en.pdf?
expires=1578985533&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=0CB79E50D1C3DC120D8A2509
1206AD07
Kuhn, R.L. (2010). How Chinaʼs Leaders Think. Asia: John Wiley & Sons Pte Ltd, pp.30–45.

7CONTEMPORARY CHINA’S GOVERNMENT:A LESSON FOR DEVELPOING COUNTRIES
Li, N., 2014. The evolving Chinese conception of security and security approaches. In Asia-
Pacific Security Cooperation: National Interests and Regional Order (pp. 53-70). Routledge.
Mitter, R. (2008). Modern China: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University
Press, pp.40–102.
Oecd.org. (2019). OECD sees rising trade tensions and policy uncertainty further weakening
global growth - OECD. [online] Available at: https://www.oecd.org/economy/oecd-sees-
rising-trade-tensions-and-policy-uncertainty-further-weakening-global-growth.htm.
Perry, E.J. (2020). Chinese Conceptions of “Rights”: From Mencius to Mao—and Now.
[online] Cambridge University Press, pp.10–14. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592708080055.
Quest, L. (2015). Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the
Globalization of Democracy by Francis Fukuyama. [online] International Social Science
Review,pp.1–3. http://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1103&context=issr.
Woetzel, J., Seon, J., Leung, N., Lund, S. and Mironenko, A. (2018). China and the world:
Inside a changing economic relationship. [online] McKinsey & Company. Available at:
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/asia-pacific/china-and-the-world-inside-a-
changing-economic-relationship.
Yang, G. (2016). Watching Chinese politics under the mirror of the end of history—dialogue
with Francis Fukuyama on his reflections on Chinese governance. [online] Taylor and
Francis. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/23812346.2016.1212783.