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北京大学英语新闻网/Peking University News
China's economic success is primarily the result of its three decades of market
reforms. If government intervention was the key for economic growth, China would
have succeeded 30 years ago, when the state was everywhere. China began
economic reforms precisely because the old system of an encompassing state did
not work.
Some people accept the importance of the market, but nevertheless believe that an
authoritarian government is necessary for economic success because an
authoritarian government can mobilize large amounts of resources and make quick
decisions free of non-economic interferences such as those from labor unions. That
was why some Chicago economists praised the Pinochet government in Chile in the
1980s.
However, international experiences show that none of these
authoritarianism-plus-free-market regimes lasted long.
The basic reason for their ultimate failures is that their governments in the end only
served the interests of a small group, often the elites who monopolized the economy
and finally became a hindrance to innovation.
The Chinese government has played an important role in promoting the country's
economic growth, but the root of this is not authoritarianism. Instead, it is its
disinterestedness toward the society. By disinterestedness, it is meant that the
Chinese government has taken a neutral stance when it comes to the contests of
interests among different social and political groups.
Because of this, it is able to allocate resources according to the productive capacities
of different groups, so economic growth can be made faster. However, a
disinterested government can appear in both an authoritarian state and a democratic
state as long as the right social conditions and political arrangements are in place.
Authoritarianism does not explain China's economic success, nor does it fully
characterize the Chinese system. The Chinese political system sounds authoritarian
in its outlook, but a deeper observation would find that it has a degree of flexibility
and is not devoid of democratic elements.
In the West, democracy is often equated to free assembly and competitive elections.
However, this view disguises the substantial values of democracy, among which
accountability and responsiveness are two of the most important qualities required
on the government.
While the proper institutions need to be strengthened, Chinese officials are
increasingly being held accountable for their actions, either through the formal
channels built in the establishment, or through popular calls floating in the media and
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