How does the government of China explain China's rampant capitalism and still call themselves communists?

Question

There's nothing "communist" left. They're just a capitalist country minus democratic freedoms. Communism is by definition suppposed to be based on communal ownership of all industry, isn't it? How can they do that? Is there any anti-capitalist sentiment still alive? Haven't they become their worst nightmare?

Answer 1

You have the essence of it in your question. The problem is, the one-party system they have owes its legitimacy to communism. If China is not a communist country then the communist party has no mandate to rule. Thus they need to maintain the facade of communism, even as they change to, for instance, let capitalists into the communist party.

They are not fooling anyone. In general Chinese know how to read between the lines.

One of my favorite examples is cabs. In the 80s there were no cabs in Beijing - well, only for tourists, and you had to book them a day in advance or get them at tourist hotels. In the early 90s (in the bid for the 2000 Olympics) they allowed cabs, and people began using them for transportation. Unemployed workers could borrow the money to buy a car, get a licence, and earn it back.

By 2000 licences were restricted to large companies, either government run or well connected. Drivers are not allowed to own their cabs, but to get a licence they must make a cash payment higher than the value of a car, and sign a contract for 4 years with huge penalties for beaking it. And they need to make a payment every day of about 300 RMB for their cabs.

The result? While it used to be impossible to get a cab at night or on holidays, because cabbies who owned their own cabs would sleep or rest, now most cabs are on the road 24 hours a day with 2 drivers (usually one licences, one not), and holidays cabs are cruising 24 hours a day trying to get that 300 RMB so the cab company gets their profit. This is socialism?

Answer 2

It's called "double-think". (We use it in the west too, in fact all governments do.)

Answer 3

one word...propaganda