APCG China

from masterprep videos notes

mandate of heaven

an ancient Chinese political and philosophical doctrine that justified the rule of the emperor, stating Heaven granted the right to rule to a virtuous leader, the "Son of Heaven," who must govern justly for the people's welfare.

Dynastic rule

• confucian values

• scholarship → bureaucracy

• isolation → cultural identity

• expansion/invasion → ethnic/cultural tension with other Asian people

Resistance to imperialism

• clash between chinese nationalism and foreign imperialism

century of humiliation

• revolution of 1911 → ouster of foreign devils

Maoism

• marxism/leninism suit to China

• rejected inequality implied by vanguard of proletariat

• focused on strength of peasants

collectivism

Maoism

• valuing the good of community above individual

struggle and activism

encouraging people to follow the value of socialism

mass line

Maoism

teaching and listening on everyone’s part

• 사람에게 귀 기울리다

• communication between party and people/peasants

egalitarianism

Maoism

hierarchy was traditional organizing principle of China, but Mao supported equality among all

• 힘들면 다같이 힘들어야함

struggle and activism

encouraging people to follow value of socialism

self-reliance

Maoism

instead of relying on the elite to give directions, people were encouraged to rely on their own

“알아서 먹고 살아라”

• no government support

Deng Xiaoping

• practical leadership → dramatic turn around of Chinese economy

• socialist planning, capitalist free market

• social views continued strict alignment with communist tradition

Political Culture of China

• authoritarian governance: centralized power and social harmony prioritized over individual rights

• collectivism: group interests valued over individual freedoms

• pragmatism: market reforms under communist control (black cat, white cat principle)

• nationalism: emphasis on unity, historical grievances

Sources of Legitimacy

• historical legitimacy: communist party’s revolutionary victory in 1949

• performance legitimacy: economic growth and poverty reduction

• nationalism & sovereignty: defense of territorial integrity

• ideological legitimacy: Marxism-LEninism adapted to China

Traditions in Chinese Politics

Confucian influences: moral governance, meritocracy, respect for hierarchy

Mandate of Heaven: ancient belief in divine approval for rulers; modern echos in CCP rule

Centralization: strong unitary state control over provinces and localities

• people are okay with this because long history of centralized government

mass campaigns: maoist tradition of mobilization; modern poverty alleviation drivers

authoritarian power

Historical Tradition

• Chinese people: subjects, not participants

• competes with tendency towards decentralization

confucianism

Historical Tradition

• order and harmony

• submission to authority of emperor

• small group of people making decisions for people

bureaucratic hierarchy based on scholarship

Historical Tradition

• emperors surrounded by highly organized bureaucratic elites based on confucian scholarship

• highly competitive examination system

The “Middle Kingdom”

Historical Tradition

• Zhongguo

• China as the center of civilizations

Communist ideologies

Historical Tradition

• intersection between Confucianism and Maoism

• Deng Xiaoping theory: Perestroika without glasnost

Confucianism and Maoism

Confucianism:

• mandate of heaven

• vision of an ideal society based on harmony and obedience

• hierarchical social and political organization; rulers and subject have unequal polisition

• emphasis on loyalty to family: filial piety

Maoism:
democratic centralism

• vision of ideal society based on self-reliance and struggle

• egalitarian social structure; mass line between rulers and subjects

• emphasis on loyal to the state

Chinese Communist Party Structure

• national party congress: meets every five years to approve leadership and policy

• central committee: 370 members, implements decisions of party congress

Politburo

• 25 members

• directs daily affairs, the Poliburo Standing Committee (7 members) is top decision-making body

• General secretary: leader of politburo

• controls embedded in all state organs, SOEs, uni, and militaries

general secretary

• most powerful role

• military leader

• CCP leader

• superior to premier

• makes all the decisions and gives errands to the government/premier

• head of state

government structure of china

• unitary socialist one-party state governed by the communist party of China (CCP)

National people’s congress NPC

• 3000 members

• meets annually

• rubber-stamps CCP decisions

Premier

• head of government

• leading state council, functioning as china’s cabinet

• manages country’s administrative machinery

• appointment: formally nominated by president, approved by national people’s congress (NPC), but in relaity, chosen by CCP leadership

Military structure (people’s liberation army PLA)

• The military is an integral part of Chinese politics

• controlled by the Central Military Commission (CMC); loyalty to the CCP

• ~2 million active personnel; largest standing army in the world

• modernizing focus: naval expansion, cyber warfare, hypersonic missiles

Political Institutions

Basic: authoritarian regime, leadership from within the party or the military - decisions made by elites, little citizen input

• challenge: market economy and decentralization

• CCP heart of chinese political system

Authoritarian System (China)

• No real citizen input in government decisions

• Not truly democratic

• Government decisions made by elites, not public

Elections (China)

• Exist only at local level

• Do not impact national politics

• Used to appear democratic

• Help show legitimacy to Western countries

Legitimacy (CCP)

• Maintained through:

  • Economic growth

  • Controlled elections

  • Propaganda/media control

• Goal: appear “somewhat democratic” internationally

Technocrats in Government

• Experts involved in governance (especially economy)

• Focus on economic growth rather than democracy

Party structure & power

• Controls:

  • Politics

  • Economy

  • Society

• Only party with real power

• Other parties exist but are meaningless

Party Members vs Bureaucrats

• Party members actually run the country, not bureaucrats

• Control regions and decision-making

Informal Leadership (Mao, Deng)

• Leaders like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping had influence beyond official roles

• Sometimes more powerful than formal titles

Factions in CCP

• Internal competition for power

• Groups include:

  • Elite families (connected to Mao)

  • Shanghai faction

• Some want:

  • More power

  • More participation

• Others want:

  • Strong centralized control

Xi Jinping (2013–Present)

• Increased centralization of power

• Removed term limits (2018) → can rule longer

• Moving China toward more dictatorship

• Tightened control over society

Xi Jinping Policies

• Strict control (ex: COVID lockdowns in Shanghai)

• Government pressure on citizens to obey

• Reduced autonomy in regions (ex: Hong Kong)

Declining Support for Xi

• Some factions oppose him

• Reports of military not fully supporting him

• Growing dissatisfaction with strict policies

Great Leap Forward

• Attempt to rapidly industrialize'

• political unanimity

• Forced people to work

• Led to mass deaths (famine)

• Promoted egalitarianism

Cultural Revolution

• Destroyed traditions and culture

  • remove all vestiges of old china (hierarchical)

  • supported egalitarianism

• Reduced education

• Promoted Maoist ideology

• Caused social chaos

Maoism

• Emphasizes:

  • Collectivism

  • Equality

• Limited education

• Strong government control

Deng Xiaoping Reforms

• Introduced:

  • Privatization

  • Trade

  • Investment

• Shift toward market economy

• Contradiction: still communist politically

Economic System

State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)

• Government-owned businesses

• Get more funding and advantages

• Can be inefficient

Market Reforms

• Allowed:

  • Foreign investment

  • Trade

  • Private ownership (some sectors)

• Created economic growth

Special Economic Zones (SEZs)

• Areas encouraging foreign investment

• Factories and ports developed

• Helped economic expansion

Economic Contradictions

• Claims communism

• Practices capitalism (trade, privatization)

• State still controls key sectors

Ethnic Cleavages

• China has many ethnic groups

• Major minorities:

  • Tibetans

  • Uyghurs (Xinjiang)

• Ethnic tension = biggest cleavage

Rural vs Urban Divide

• Rural workers move to cities

• Urban residents often dislike migrants

• Economic inequality

Language Diversity

• Many languages across China

• Adds to ethnic division

Xinjiang Policies

• Forced detention camps

• Religious suppression

• Seen internationally as human rights abuse

Religious Control

• Government restricts religion

• Forces ideological conformity

Censorship

• Very high level of censorship

• Internet heavily controlled

• Western apps restricted

Surveillance State

• Tracks:

  • Internet activity

  • Financial transactions (less cash use)

• Monitors citizens constantly

Propaganda

• Controls media narratives

• Promotes nationalism

• Maintains CCP power

NGOs in China

• Exist but limited

• Less independent than in democracies

• Government oversight is strong

Media Control

• State controls media

• Blocks foreign influence

• Used for propaganda

Judicial System

• Not independent

• Controlled by CCP

• Courts act as rubber stamp

Rule of Law

• Weak

• Political influence dominates legal decisions

Territorial Goals

• Wants control over:

  • South China Sea

  • Taiwan

• Expanding influence

Hong Kong

• Promised autonomy

• Freedom decreasing over time

Tibet & Xinjiang

• Regions seeking independence

• China suppresses movements

Global Investment Strategy

• Invests in Africa & other countries

• Gains control over:

  • Ports

  • Resources

  • Policies

• Expands global influence

Policy Making (China)

• Not transparent

• Public cannot see process

• Decisions made internally by CCP

Hukou System

• Determines where people can live/work

• Based on birthplace

• Limits mobility unless approved

Population Policy

• One-child policy (past)

• Led to:

  • Gender imbalance (more men)

  • Aging population

• Causing economic issues

Guanxi

• Personal connections important

• Used for:

  • Jobs

  • Business

• Leads to nepotism

Corruption

• Unfair qualifications

• Inefficiency in government/business

Communism vs Reality

• Claims equality (egalitarianism)

• In reality:

  • Inequality exists

  • Capitalist practices used

USSR Influence

• China initially followed Soviet model

• System proved inefficient

Education Control

• Limited under Mao

• Used to control population

Economic Pressure

• People work harder due to system pressure

• High expectations for productivity

Jiang Zemin 1993-2003

• oversaw rapid growth

• WTO accession 2001

• three represents

• respected as a leader

political unanimity

emphasis on party members running the government, not bureaucrats

Modernization 1978-1997 Deng Xiaoping

• “four modernizations”

  • industry

  • agriculture

  • science

  • military

• economic liberalization

  • open door trade policy: trade w everyone except capitalist countries

  • educational reform

  • institutionalized

paramount leader

unofficial position. this position was used by Mao and Deng only. paramount leader holds sway over the president and other officials

Conservative Faction

• conservatives: body has concerns about power of the party and govt eroding too much

Liberal faction

• liberals: weakened after 1989 tiananmen square incident. they support economic and political erform

Princelings

people from families with revolutionary credentials from Mao’s days

Shanghai Gang

this body has its roots from Jiang Zemin

• patron client faction along with princelings has strong representations in the standing committee

• competes with xi’s group of party members

fang-shou

a policy of tightening and loosening control over the economy and society, allowing for some market reforms while maintaining the Communist Party's authority

Tiananmen square protests 1989

• student led pro-democracy movement

• ended up with military crackdown

• hundreds to thousands killed

Maoism

• iron rice bowl

• mass line

• egalitarianism

• peasant based revolution: marxist deviation

• continuous revolution to prevent capitalist restoration

• mass mobilization campaigns

Deng Xiaoping’s reforms 1978-1992

• market oriented socialism

• household responsibility system: farmers keep surplus after meeting quota

• special economic zones for foreign investment

• four cadinal principles

  • maintain ccp

  • socialism

  • marxism-leninism

  • people’s dictatorship

Post Deng reforms

• jiang zemin: three represents

• hu jintao: scientific development concept

• xi jinping: anti-corruption campaigns

Great Firewall

• blocks foreign platforms

• media serves as propaganda tool

• journalists require party approval

• media dominated by state outlets

  • cannot use western hemisphere apps

social credit system

• government tracking of citizen behavior

• rewards and punishments based on compliance

Terms associated with MAO

• mass line

• democratic centralism

• struggle and activism

• cultural revolution

• great leap forward

• egalitarianism

• collectivism

• land reform

• five year plan

• iron rice bowl

Terms associated with DENG

• self reliance

• socialist market economy

• open door trade policy

• technocrats

• one child policy

• modernization

economic pragmatism

market reforms withou democracy