XVI INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE “CHINESE CIVILIZATION: TRADITIONS AND MODERNITY”

 XVI Міжнародної наукової конференції "Китайська цивілізація: традиції та сучасність"

Kiev, 30 November

Modern model of the socio-economic development of China

CHINA, FROM NEW DEMOCRACY TOWARD ECOLOGICAL SOCIALISM AND ECOCIVILIZATION

Keywords: Philosophy of Nature, Political Philosophy, Environmental crisis, New Era

If the People’s Republic of China represents a new historical experience of democracy and socialism, the Western conceptual framework of political hermeneutics is not adequate to understand Peoples Republic of China_ PRCh.

This research analyses the political philospheme of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics_ New Democracy, Ecological Socialism and Ecocivilization, from their classical roots. Ecological Socialism and Ecological Civilization are two new concepts of political philosophy, associated with the concept of New Era, that remain insufficiently studied around the world. Western model of industrial modernization (in the West and in the USSR)  historically resulted in serious conflicts with the environment and natural resources. In this sense, the ecological wisdom heritage of Chinese civilization is an important component of the project of ecological civilization. The environmental crisis led PRCh to a new process of reform, Ecological Socialism, spread by the slogans Beautiful China and the Chinese Dream.

This essay wants to characterize the environmental transformation of PRCh in the 20th/ 21st centuries, considering four periods:

1949-1976. The period of agrarian reform. extension and industrialization of agriculture and the construction of infrastructure and basic industries.

1976-2005. The reform and opening up period, giving priority to economic and urban growth and energy and technological development, based on coal, relocation, from the West to China, many the polluting industries and the expansion of economy without sustainability.

2005-2015. The period of the transition to an ecological economy, to the ecological socialist society and to the Beautiful China.

2016-…The pilot regions of Eco Civilization. The case-study of  Autonomous Region of Xinjiang.

This research intends to characterize the theorical contributions from the domain of political philosophy of CPC and National People's Congress to overcoming the environmental crisis in China:

Sustainable development was recognized as the scientific concept of development at the 16th CPC National Congress in 2003. President Hu Jintao declared the goal of building Ecological Civilization at the 17th CPC National Congress in 2007. It then became the guiding thought for the economic and social development of PRC, understood as a balanced development between urban and rural areas, between man and nature, and between different generations...

The concept of "building ecological civilization" was added to the statutes during the 18th CPC Congress in 2012, at the initiative of President Xi Jinping. In 2013, President Xi said: "We will never seek economic growth again at the expense of the environment."

In the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) Ecological Development became one of the five principles of development after the Central Committee and the Council of State published guidelines to accelerate the construction of ecological civilization.

Fujian Province has been chosen as a pilot zone for the demonstration of ecological civilization at the province level, with other pilot projects in Jiangxi Province, Yunnan Province, Qinghai Province, Guizhou Province, Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

In the historical moment when the wars and the economic crises, are the pretext of governs to forget the political and ethical imperative of fight against the environmental crises, as says the Secretary General of United Nations: Fossil fuel companies and the banks that finance them “have humanity by the throat”, pulling in record profits amid energy prices. When António Guterres also criticized governments that are failing to rein in fossil fuels, and in many cases seeking increased production of gas, oil and even coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel and nuclear energy, the most dangerous. PRCh represents one of the most promises world's hope to demonstrate that there are an alternative, the ecological, democratic, and socialist innovation, the  path of peace and multilateral cooperation.

From this framework, Ecological Civilization represents a new humanism, without the domination of nature. Having transcended industrial civilization, the ecological civilization will represent a more advanced state of human civilization. 

If the People’s Republic of China represents a new historical experience of democracy and socialism, the Western conceptual framework of political hermeneutics is not adequate to understand Peoples Republic of China_ PRCh.

New Democracy, Socialism with Chinese Characteristics_ Ecological Socialism and Ecocivilization, from their classical roots. are new concepts of political philosophy, associated with the concept of New Era, that remain insufficiently studied around the world.

The first program for the New China, was the program of the revolution of 1911, proposed by Sun Yat-sen: The  San Min Doctrine. ‘Nationalism, Democracy, and Livelihood”, A big idea, that came for the classics, cross this program:.

The Chinese people are great peace-lovers. Indeed, our people are the only people in the world who are real peace-lovers. All other big nations are imperialistic and warlike.

For the intellectuals of the first Republic, liberal democracy, the other face of colonialism and imperialism, could not be  the Chinese democracy.

Sun Yat-sen release that the Russian revolution changed the world, and a new type of democracy could emerge in any country and call to the Kuomintang all national political forces, including CPC. When a military coup take the Kuomintang, Soong Ching-ling, the widow of Sun, took command of the democratic and revolutionary wing and continue to support the alliance with communists and USSR. She will be the first woman´s president of Peoples Republic Of China

Three different ways was opened to the republican revolution in China:

The way of militarist and anti-liberal Kuomintang, thar said China was a  semi feudal country, without an elite capable to control an enormous mass of  peasants, and only a  nationalist  warlord  could accomplish the providential mission  to command China toward modernity.

The III International Communist, considering the historical gap of productive forces of China,  believe the Chinese revolution must achieve a first stage, the full defeat of warlords and feudal lords, and bring a liberal democracy  to China.

But will be the patriotic war against Japan’s invasion, that congregate the Chinese nation in a large Popular Front, including all the wings of Kuomintang, that create the conditions   of the rising of  a new democratic regime, based in the popular assemblies, from where was elected a three parties’ government: Communists, nationalists of Kuomintang  and representative of common people.

After the defeat of Japan, the wing anti liberal of  Kuomintang, abandon the govern of colligation govern, and sure  of their miliary superiority_ a modern army with more of 5.million of troops, supported by the marines and aviation of USA, face the Read Army, around one million of soldiers. But the Kuomintang army was defeat.

What was the main gun that devasted the army of Kuomintang? A political weapon. In 1947, the communist party and eight democratic parties, representatives  of all the social classes of China, approved in a national conference, the law of Agrarian Reform. A agrarian reform very different of the soviet reform.  The middle peasants and the rich peasants and landlords, that wish  plant and grow, remains as the owners of land.

In the international field, China will  co-founder of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UDHR was adopted by the UN on 1948, was drafted by J. P. Humphrey of Canada and  Dr. P.C. Chang, representative of China and mediator of Asian countries, the main negotiator of the consensus established in its 30 articles. Eleanor Roosevelt enthusiastically supported her. Labor rights, economic democracy, the right of nations to dispose of themselves. Self-determination and independence. Refusal of hegemonism and  social discrimination…they have been elevated to the condition of fundamental human rights and, as such, are incompatible with the political nature and evolution of liberal democracies.

Indeed, USA, United Kingdom, France, were colonialist countries and racial discrimination was institutionalized and was practiced in the metropolis and in the colonies. So, the propaganda of Cold War  need to subvert and distort the principles of the original UDHR. Today, In the  West, human rights are  reduced to some civil and political rights, such as freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, the right not to be tortured.  But it ends there.

The collage of Cold War propaganda linking political Human Rights with the model of liberal democracy, it was a fallacy. What Article 21 of UDHR prescribes is the way to citizenship and the diversity of democratic regimes, which recognizes no superiority to liberal democracy. Article 21º of UDHR open the gate of new democracies and History can walk again to realize all the dreams and Human Utopias.

The same colligation of 8 democratic parties and CPC, founded in 1949 the Peoples Republic of China, including the 30 articles of UDHR  in the first Constitution   draf.

The New Democracy program confiscated only the monopolies_ the bureaucratic capital of the "four families", ended the privileges of the foreign capital that took over three-quarters of China's industry and transport, reversed the requisitions, occupations and expropriations that the Japanese occupation imposed on businessmen and landowners and abolished feudal exploitation in the countryside.

CPC was then the most important party, but in the Constitution the  principle of consultation and  the right of all parties integrate the Comities leaders of National People Assembly and Consultive Conference, was  guaranteed.

 “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” will be defined in the Constitution as   the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation, popular assemblies,  and harmonious ethnicity, but also a new economic system, with the coexistence of several types of propriety, predominance of public property on the fundamental sectors and the redistribution of land propriety in benefice of 350 million of peasants.

Western model of industrial modernization (in the West and in the USSR)  historically resulted in serious conflicts with the environment and natural resources. The environmental crisis led PRCh to a new process of reform, Ecological Socialism, spread by the slogans Beautiful China and the Chinese Dream.

Sustainable development was recognized as the scientific concept of development at  in 2003. President Hu Jintao declared the goal of building Ecological Civilization at the in 2007 year.

The concept of "building ecological civilization" was added to the statutes during the 18th CPC Congress in 2012, at the initiative of President Xi Jinping."

Is true that China is the first responsible by the atmospheric  pollution? If we considers the historical process and the per capita ratio, the answer is no. If we consider  CO2 emissions along the period 1850-2016, USA is the first responsible, the doble of China and EU countries represent much more of PRC. If we consider the per capita measure, in the top are the Arabian countries, USA and Deutschland, and countries as India gives a reduced contribution to global warming. The data source is EU data (Global Watch).

Fujian Province was chosen as a pilot zone for the demonstration of ecological civilization at the province level, with other pilot projects in Jiangxi Province, Yunnan Province, Quinchai Province, Guizhou Province, Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

The concentration of capital created national and international giant monopolies, in all branches of economy and finance, where the administration and CEO lost the concept of homeland; they firstly enhancing accountability to shareholders. Environmental damages are socialized, and profits privatized. It is questionable that can achieve the harmony between man and nature in their own countries and in global competition.

The two-fowling thesis, from CPC,  can systematize the perspective of the dialectic socialism and ecological civilization:

An ecological civilization is possible only with socialism. Ecological civilization represents a new humanism, without the domination of nature.

Having transcended the industrial civilization, the ecological civilization represents a more advanced state of human civilization.

The economic key of socialist market is a modern version of the principle of inaction of Taoism, and it is equivalent to the Confucian ideal of ruler, someone who reigns but does not decide, in the sense that it does not decide against the laws of the market. But, when the marked fails, is necessaire the intervention of the governance. 

In 2014 IMF and World Bank, concerning the Power Purchasing Parity of PIB,  announce that Chinese PPP overpass USA,  place that this country occupied since 1872.PPP is the indicator of  the levels of welfare of the people. In 2020, China eradicate the extreme poverty, a long march to 850.000 peoples.

Concerning the international treaties,  the superiority of Chinese proposes are the access to low interest credit for all countries,  the respect for the sovereign decision of each one on the choice of their strategic projects and  the position of China as a partner that does not seek the hegemony.

The message of the XX Congress of CPC  to the world economy is innovation, to the growth of internal market and international cooperation, but fist of all, a new international order for peace, based in the democratic reform of UN and in the Principle of Indivisible Security.

This principle is in line with the principles of the UN, is committed to respect for the sovereignty and  integrity of all countries, advocates non-interference in their internal affairs and respects the different political and social regimes chosen by the history of their peoples.

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Santos Queirós, A.

ORCID iD      0000-0002-1241-5831

Doctor of Philosophy Of Sciences, Professor

Researcher of Environmental Philosophy and Ethics

Center of Philosophy of University of Lisbon

   School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon

Portugal

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