Part 1: Introduction, Is China socialist?
Introduction: Is China socialist?
In his speech at the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which took place from October 16 to 22, 2022, President and General Secretary of the CCP, Xi Jinping, said:
“The practice in China has taught us that the successes our party has achieved in implementing socialism with Chinese characteristics are essentially due to the fact that Marxism (…) works in China.”
Marxism in China? The country, which is surpassed in the number of billionaires only by the United States? There are 12 Gucci boutiques in Beijing alone, which does not really sound like the socialism Marx spoke of.
Few topics are as controversially discussed among leftists today as the question of Chinese socialism.
For many critics, socialist development in China ended as early as 1976 with Mao Zedong’s death – they see Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power as marking a fundamental break from revolutionary socialism itself.
Deng’s policy of “Reform and Opening” – meaning the introduction of market elements, approval of private property, foreign investments, and special economic zones – is interpreted from this perspective as capitalist re-establishment.
The growing social inequality, the emergence of a wealthy urban elite, and the exclusion of broad sections of the population from the newly created wealth are seen as evidence that the People’s Republic has, at least since the 1980s, adopted a capitalist development path.
Political structure is also criticized: In this view, the Chinese state does not appear as a socialist workers’ state but as an authoritarian regime, not fundamentally different from bourgeois authoritarian states elsewhere – and, in Soviet manner, has turned into a state-capitalist, even imperialist, superpower of capital.
In contrast, there is another interpretation, particularly represented within anti-imperialist or global-south left currents.
This defends the thesis that Deng’s reform policies do not constitute a departure from socialism but rather a pragmatic adaptation to the historical and economic conditions – socialism here is not understood as a finished final stage, but as a long-term process passing through different phases – even utilizing market-based means.
Indeed, the Chinese Constitution still adheres to the principle of socialist public ownership – strategically important sectors such as energy, banking, transportation, and military industry are mostly state-controlled.
The state plays a central role in economic management, through five-year plans, targeted industrial policies, and comprehensive development programs.
The successes in poverty reduction, technological modernization, and infrastructure development are seen as evidence that China continues to pursue an independent socialist path, and that this approach varies based on the material conditions.
So, is today’s China truly socialist? Is China currently in a phase of “socialist construction”?
This question about Chinese socialism will be the focus of this series of topics:
We will limit ourselves to 5 parts; however, the topic itself is immensely complex and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no – therefore, we will focus on the core aspects of the Chinese system to provide the most coherent answer to the question of Chinese socialism.
We will attempt to contextualize some often misunderstood aspects of the Chinese system and thereby clarify some guiding ideas behind China’s development.
This essay will not elaborate on the fundamental principles of Marxism, as we see the existing knowledge of these principles as a necessary foundation for a critical discussion about socialism in China.
Given the ever-increasing role that the People’s Republic plays on the world stage, a concrete, informed opinion about China is undoubtedly of great importance for everyone, especially for socialists:
“Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of primary importance for the revolution.” (Mao, On the Classes of Chinese Society, 1926)