How Xi Jinpings’s authoritarian alternative to liberalism threatens to upend world order at the cost of democracy
As China’s economy grew exponentially in the 21st century, so did its ability to mould global politics. Few nations dare oppose the second largest economy in the world, with economic interests being prioritized over democratic values: pragmatism prioritized over idealism.
China’s foreign assertiveness stems from its desire for regional hegemony in the East Pacific and beyond, where it wishes to subdue democratic bastions like Hong Kong and replace the USA as the leader of the free world. In China’s case, leader of a new authoritarian world. The CCP is slowly expanding its sphere of influence and promoting its doctrine of a deeply autocratic political structure coupled with free capitalist markets. Many countries consider this model of “authoritarian capitalism” attractive. From Erdogan to Duterte, this erosion of liberal values is gaining ground, even transcending the traditional west-east, and north-south divides. This is largely substantiated by the staggering 9-10% yearly GDP growth China oversaw in the last 20 years. Ultimately raising questions in regard to the superiority of the western democratic model.
The Chinese economy continued to grow at record pace even as politically, China became an almost totalitarian state. Technological conglomerates suffered a crackdown, a social ranking system was established, and cultural Muslim minorities were suppressed in concentration camps. With China’s example, it is no wonder many people disagree with the preconceived western dogma that economic growth and political freedom are two sides of the same coin, with citizens being increasingly willing to sacrifice civil liberties in exchange for this rapid economic development. Hence, threatening the relatively peaceful and democratic world order which has endured since the fall of the Soviet Union.
NATO’s complacency, a direct result of internal feuds within the alliance, exacerbated the possible far-reaching popularity of the Chinese model. America and the EU, the supposed beacons of democracy, have become ever more dysfunctional due to their divide and polarization. Trump and Brexit are just some symptoms of this growing intolerance to international cooperation. This just further confirms for other countries the benefits of the Chinese trade off, with China’s economic growth being the priority and America’s personal freedom and political rights being only desirable.
This direct comparison, nay confrontation, between the American democratic system and the Chinese autocratic model has posed questions in regard to the superiority of the western political structure which were unthinkable 20 years ago. Winston Churchill famously exclaimed that “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others.” It would be wise for us to listen to him. The enticing nature of possessing a sole effective leader, which eliminates the complexity of a plutocracy’s bureaucracy, is dangerous to say the least. In complaining about our political system, we forget the civil liberties we take for granted. If anything, the fact that “613,000 Chinese nationals applied for asylum claiming human rights violations since the start of Xi Jinping’s rule in 2012”, should indicate what we are really sacrificing.
Furthermore, the Uyghur cultural genocide’s backlash and the protests in Hong Kong shed light into the lack of conformity of some Chinese citizens to the oppressive regime which governs their country. However, technological advancements mean the CCP has complete control of what its citizens do and know about, in ways which completely silent any dissent domestically. This iron grip control over its own citizens highlights how this is indeed no superior model. Nonetheless, it still presents a formidable threat to democratic values within global politics. In order to protect liberalism and its associated human rights, western nations should halt the encroaching influence of this new communist power.
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