China

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a socialist state in Asia currently led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). It is one of the few remaining Marxist-Leninist states in the world. It is currently leading the way towards a multipolar global arrangement.

The PRC was founded in 1949 by Mao Zedong, then head of the CPC, after the over two-decades long Chinese Civil War that had been waging since 1927. Since then, it has been one of the most successful socialist experiments in the world as it continues to thrive economically to this day. It is estimated that China could economically surpass the United States, the most economically powerful country in the world since World War II, by the year 2030.

History

Century of Humiliation

The century of humiliation was a time period in Chinese history prior to the formation of the PRC in 1949 when the Chinese people, who lived mostly an agrarian lifestyle per the time, were oppressed and exploited by foreign imperialists. The CPC was founded in 1921 during this time period, committing its platform to the fight for democracy.

Chinese Civil War (1927-1949)

The Chinese Civil War was a period of constant turmoil and civil war in China from 1927-1949 between the Communist Party of China, led then by Mao Zedong, and the national bourgeoise against the Kuomintang (KMT)-led government of China that was supported by the international imperialist bourgeoisie.

Modern China (1976-present)

Since Xi Jinping became President of the People's Republic of China in 2013, the Chinese government has been working on major poverty alleviation efforts. On April 22, 2019 Xi Jinping made an effort to inspect these poverty alleviation efforts in order to make sure things were going accordingly. According to his investigation, over 80 million Chinese citizens had been lifted from poverty since the year 2012. In 2020, that number increased to 100 million.

Politics

Government structure

The government of the People's Republic of China is rooted in Mao Zedong Thought, the application of Marxism-Leninism to the conditions of China in the 1930s. Mao's thought is unique due to the idea of the vanguard party running the Chinese government being not just made up of proletarians, but also of intellectuals and peasants. The reasoning for this is a concept developed by Mao known as the "mass line" where the vanguard is meant to pay attention to the needs and wants of the people.

The state power in China is split into four layers. The lowest layer is a commune, where the average person lives and works. The second layer is a municipality, a group of communes, and a collection of municipalities makes up a province. Provinces are then subordinate to the national government, which is run by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. All communes, municipalities, and provinces are led by a local head of government and a Party Committee Secretary from the CPC.

The State Council is made up of ministers that are selected by the National People's Congress (NPC), the democratically-elected parliament of China. The State Council meets once every six months, the Standing Committee of the State Council of the People's Republic of China to do their job temporarily when they are not in session. The members of the Standing Committee are selected by the State Council.

Members of the NPC, on the other hand, are elected through a process of parliamentary democracy that goes through all four layers of the Chinese government. The Chinese citizens elect members of a congress to function as a government in their local commune, whom then select municipal congress members, whom then select provincal congress members, whom then select the members of the NPC. The NPC is the largest democratic body in the world by membership, consisting of almost 3,000 delegates that are elected for five-year terms. It can enact laws, update and enforce the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, appoint members of the State Council, and elect the President and Vice President. The NPC also controls the People's Liberation Army and the High Court. The NPC only meets two weeks per year, leaving the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to do its job when not in session. The Standing Committee of the NPC has ~170 members and is selected from members of the NPC.

There are some exceptions to this layout of how the Chinese government functions, however. For example, autonomous regions like Xinjiang and special economic zones like Qingdao have different rules based on their special statuses.

Political parties

Party	Ideology
Communist Party of China	Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang	Sun Yat-Sen Thought

Controversies

Xinjiang Genocide

The PRC has often been accused of genocide against the Uygher Muslim ethnic group in the Xinjiang Uygher Autonomous Region in the northwest. This is largely a conspiracy theory, as life in Xinjiang has been proven to be prosperous and peaceful.

Debt-Trapping in Africa

Many in the west have accused China of debt-trapping Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) members in Africa. This has been disproven, as China has forgiven billions worth of debt to 17 different countries.

Foreign relations

China has positive relations with many countries throughout the world, largely due to the fact that their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has allowed them to connect and aid many of the world's developing nations. Through the BRI, China has also been able to successfully bring many nations together through the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF).

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2019, the Chinese government has been helping impoverished countries in Africa with debt relief.

Ethiopia

In 2016, China managed to open a new railway in Ethiopia that allowed the Ethiopian government to bring food aid and other humanitarian aid to people in more remote area, which has saved the lives of 8.2 million Ethiopians.

Iraq

In 2021, China and Iraq signed a series of 15 contracts that allocated Chinese money and labor to help build 1,000 schools in Iraq.

Kenya

Kenya, as a member of the Belt and Road Initiative, has been developing infrastructure with Chinese assistance. Since 2017, China has committed to developing modern railway in Kenya that has been able to improve the lives of many Kenyan citizens.

Laos

In 2021, China provided help to Laos in cleaning up bombs left from when the United States carpet-bombed the region during the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War. This then allowed China to open a new railroad in Laos later that year, further developing the infrastructure of the destroyed country.

Montenegro

In 2022, President Milo Đukanović of Montenegro congratulated China on their economic success and for managing to achieve the "goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule."

Uganda

The relationship between China and Uganda has been positive and mutually beneficial for 60 years as of 2022. President Xi Jinping of China and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda held a meeting on October 18, 2022 to celebrate these 60 years of cooperation.

Kazakhstan

In September of 2013, the Belt and Road initiative is considered to have kicked off with Xi Jinping's visit to Astana, Kazakhstan and proposed the creation of a new 'Silk Road' with 'Eurasian nations'. Since then, the countries have signed a 'memorandum of understanding', constructed the Transcaspian International Transport Route connecting Asia and European trade routes, made the Khorgos International Center for Border cooperation advancing Kazakh-Chinese trade infrastructure, and several other mutually beneficial projects have been initiated.