Is China A Socialist Country?

There are three components to the political economy of contemporary China. The first is the political, economic and sociocultural formations inherited from thousands of years of Chinese history. This historic experience cannot be discounted. It is the context, the sea within which China swims. The second is the worldwide development of capitalism and the economic forces and relations of production associated with it. As the demise of the Soviet Union and the eastern bloc demonstrate, it is impossible to go it alone and try to recapitulate the historic development of modern capitalism under the conditions of isolation from the world market. The third component of contemporary Chinese political economy is the history of national democratic and socialist revolutionary movements both in China and worldwide during the 20th century. All three of these components interact with one another to create the socioeconomic, cultural and political reality of China today.

To answer the question in the heading: Due to the deformations of colonialism and imperialist subjugation, China experienced a new democratic revolution led by a class conscious Communist Party. Under the leadership of the CPC, China regained continuity with its past and entered into a period of socialist reconstruction subject to the conditions of underdevelopment and scarcity. The success of socialist reconstruction allowed China to enter the stage of all around capitalist development under the leadership of the patriotic national bourgeoisie. Only the Chinese people themselves, with their destiny in their own hands, will determine the manner in which their country and nation continues to develop.