Deng Xiaoping warned against Power Concentration: Xi Jinping
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The economic revolution in China took place concerning the legacy of Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997). He also wanted the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to focus on dynamism and prevent any single leader from obtaining increasing power concentration.
Deng warned about a possible future all-encompassing ruler who seeks to hold onto political power. If this happened, according to Deng, then power concentration would lead to a ruling elite within the CCP.
Hence, while Deng crushed the events of Tiananmen Square, this was based on his belief that the CCP was the only functionary political system that could pull Chinese nationals out of poverty. Also, Deng feared China splintering based on internal political dissent and the meddling of outside forces that sought to weaken China. Therefore, Tiananmen Square and the need to adopt term limits on the rulers of China were solely focused on preserving the CCP from external and internal threats to China.
France 24 reports, “Xi Jinping secured a historic third term as China’s leader on Sunday and promoted some of his closest Communist Party allies, cementing his position as the nation’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.”
Xi, ignoring the ideas of Deng, said, “I wish to thank the whole party sincerely for the trust you have placed in us.”
Xi is now clinging onto power and pushing through power concentration policies related to loyalists within the ruling CCP. This power concentration bodes ill for the people of China and the ruling CCP because instead of renewal – under each new leader – the same mindset supported by a trusted inner circle is obtaining more power at the expense of the CCP and the people of China.
Deng said, “China is not a superpower, nor will she ever seek to be one… If one day China should change her color and turn into a superpower, if she too should play the tyrant in the world, and everywhere subject others to her bullying, aggression and exploitation, the people of the world should identify her as social-imperialist, expose it, oppose it and work together with the Chinese people to overthrow it.”
Deng warned, “It is not good to have an over-concentration of power”
Economic openness that began especially under Deng is now witnessing the encroachment of the state apparatus to a greater extent. The Guardian reports, “Businesses that fuelled China’s extraordinary three decades of growth, from tech giants to tutoring companies, have in recent years found the party demanding either a stake or more oversight, installing officials and demanding party cells be set up.”
A senior China analyst of Eurasia Group (BBC reports), Neil Thomas, said, “At least 24 of the 31 provincial-level party secretaries are political associates of Xi, having previously known his family, studied with him, worked under him, or worked for one of his close allies.”
Deng warned against a single leader utilizing power mechanisms concerning power concentration. Thus the leadership of Xi – irrespective if people support or oppose his policies – bodes negatively for innovation within the ruling CCP and for protecting people from the whims of draconian forces under a single leader.
America’s containment policies against China – and interference related to Taiwan, economic sanctions, and military posturing – are also playing into the hands of Xi. According to Xi, external forces are a threat to China’s economic growth and its rightful power projections concerning Central Asia, Northeast Asia, the Mekong Delta, and the South China Sea. Hence, unlike Deng, Xi is facing hostile forces in Washington. Also, recent leaders in Australia and Japan are upping the ante on the coattails of the administration of President Joe Biden of America.
Despite Xi’s rightful concerns related to the containment policies of America, many people in China equally worry about the usage of technology to crush recent gains that began under Deng. Thus the increasing power of Xi within the body politic of the CCP is leading to internal apprehension among the populace.
The shadow of Maoism remains even if modernization and other forces are completely different from his period of history.
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