I think it's time to do a thread on the reality of China's system, since there seems to be a growing groundswell of support for "Chinese-style" structural dictatorship in Africa.
Let's examine China's history, economy and demographics to see what it REALLY is beyond the PR.
Let's examine China's history, economy and demographics to see what it REALLY is beyond the PR.
Let's start with "Chinese dictatorship creates wealth."
@Chxta did an excellent thread some days back showing that Chairman Mao's dictatorship failed miserably. Only when Deng relaxed many economic and social restrictions did China's economy take off.
@Chxta did an excellent thread some days back showing that Chairman Mao's dictatorship failed miserably. Only when Deng relaxed many economic and social restrictions did China's economy take off.
There exists a misconception that Chinese leaders are great because they have created skyscraper cities and presided over a dramatic economic turnaround.
We've all seen that YouTube video of a Chinese speaker saying Obama wouldn't be a district head in China, much less president
We've all seen that YouTube video of a Chinese speaker saying Obama wouldn't be a district head in China, much less president
In reality, is China's political system as stable and strong as we seem to think?
China's economic growth is driven by construction. Low wage industrial jobs are no longer the engine of its economy.
This means the state must build - even empty cities, which it does.
China's economic growth is driven by construction. Low wage industrial jobs are no longer the engine of its economy.
This means the state must build - even empty cities, which it does.
This video explains it clearly. Chinese provincial governments buy land from rural areas to convert to urban.
Then they sell to developers who are then required to build it up immediately, even without buyers and using substandard material.
Then they sell to developers who are then required to build it up immediately, even without buyers and using substandard material.
In other words, China's fabulous economy is built on a REAL ESTATE BUBBLE.
It is a fake prosperity that will come to a crashing halt when the bubble bursts. The govt strategy is to keep the bubble expanding forever, and here is where another aspect of dictatorship comes in.
It is a fake prosperity that will come to a crashing halt when the bubble bursts. The govt strategy is to keep the bubble expanding forever, and here is where another aspect of dictatorship comes in.
The one-child policy means that there are now 35 million more single men than women in China. This means men of marriage age must compete fiercely, which includes buying at least one property.
The Chinese govt encourages this because it feeds their construction MMM economy.
The Chinese govt encourages this because it feeds their construction MMM economy.
There is now an entire industry built around kidnapping women in surrounding countries and delivering them to single Chinese men who cannot find a female partner.
amp.scmp.com/week-asia/soci…
amp.scmp.com/week-asia/soci…
Now let's go into the fact that China's government is an extremely monolithic group of Mandarin-speaking ethnic Han, even though China is actually a very diverse country with over 297 languages.
Chinese minority groups and languages are being extinguished systematically.
Chinese minority groups and languages are being extinguished systematically.
Here's what China does to its Uyghur Muslim population.
Spoiler alert: Reeducation camps, beatings, gang rapes, torture, children forcibly taken away from parents and "adopted" by Han families, organ trafficking and much more.
haaretz.com/amp/world-news…
Spoiler alert: Reeducation camps, beatings, gang rapes, torture, children forcibly taken away from parents and "adopted" by Han families, organ trafficking and much more.
haaretz.com/amp/world-news…
We haven't even gotten into how bookshop owners in Hong Kong disappear, never to be heard from again because they sold books with officially banned information about corruption within the Communist party.
I haven't even got to the best part. What's the best part?
I haven't even got to the best part. What's the best part?
The best part is that Chinese government officials and their rich private sector partners DO NOT BELIEVE IN CHINA.
Despite capital controls, they use everything from gold to cryptocurrency to transfer billions of dollars of their wealth out of China every year.
Despite capital controls, they use everything from gold to cryptocurrency to transfer billions of dollars of their wealth out of China every year.
In fact it got so bad that early this year, Vancouver introduced a 20% tax on empty houses, because their property market was overheated by Chinese money looking for a safe haven in Canadian real estate.
Similar laws are being planned in the US, NZ and Australia.
Similar laws are being planned in the US, NZ and Australia.
In case the picture isn't clear to you, China is a giant false economy inflated by a state-backed real estate ponzi scheme where ethnic minorities suffer genocide and everyone in the know is sending their kids and money to live in democratic countries.
If you're looking for an example of successful dictatorship, keep looking because China is not it.
In fact there is no successful example. That also includes the Republic of Kagame with its per capita GDP of $748 - twice as poor as Plateau State.
In fact there is no successful example. That also includes the Republic of Kagame with its per capita GDP of $748 - twice as poor as Plateau State.
TLDR: Stop looking for successful, "benevolent" dictatorship.
It's a myth.
It's a myth.
