Assess the view that Chinas economic strength is also its weakness.

After Chinas opening up in 1978, Chinas economic strength has been on

an upward trajectory. Although Chinas economic strength has procured a
tremendous amount of benefits for the country such as improved material
well-being of the people, greater social stability and elevated global
standing, it is also the same cause for a lot of vices in the society. This
essay seeks to argue that China economic strength is not its weaknesses
because despite it being a source of new weaknesses and exacerbation to
old ones, Chinas economic strength by and large have the capacity to
curb them as long as there is sufficient political resolve to track on the
path of balanced development.
Chinas economic strength simultaneously has exacerbated social ills
which are by-products of its market reforms, making strength in
economics also a source of its weakness. Capitalism has placed a greater
emphasis on materialism, consumerism and competition. This has
resulted in people pursuing individual success and personal qualifications
at the expense of collectivism and familial commitments. The rise in
divorce rate and cohabitation rate could have also been a by-product of
this. The get-rich-quick mentality has led to many social problems like the
proliferation of scams, vices, defective manufacturers and industrial
pollution. Corruption is so deeply worsened by economic development so
much so that it is entrenched even in the government that is supposed to
be mitigating it. As such, economic strength is also a source of its
weakness.
However, social ills aggravated by Chinas economic strength have been
limited by the implementation of governments policies on corruption that
were aided by Chinas economic strength, making it instead of a weakness
a strength. To solve the problem of corruption, additional committees like
the disciplinary and supervisory committees in CCP and state bureaucracy
have been formed. Larger part of the budget is allocated to civil sector like
the PLA to prevent civil servants from being lured by the enticement of
monetary benefits to engage in illicit activities like shady businesses.
Educational campaigns are launched to dissuade people from engaging
corrupt practices. The State-owned Assets Supervision and administration
commission (SASAC) which reports directly to the state council was also
set up to stem misappropriation of public resources. As a by-product of
Chinas economic reforms, relaxation of official control over religious
beliefs and their adherences have also resulted in an insurgence of foreign
faith as well as revival of tradition religion to act as the moral compass of
the society in a time when the society has been blinded by the mindless
pursuit of material wealth. As such, instead of a weakness, economic
development can be a strength.
Economic success, attained at the expense of the environment, is at the
same time detrimental to the health and social stability of the country,
making its economic strength also a source of its weakness. Relentless

drive of Chinas leaders to amass power, consolidate territory and support

a burgeoning population have led to the plundering of forests and mineral
resources, constructing river diversion and leading to poor water
management. Lack of long-term planning, there is a clear absence of
conservation ethos in Chinas economic development. Reinforced by
Confucianism which promotes the use of nature for mans own benefit,
developmental institutions and economic policies have scant regard for
the value of the natural environment. The maxim development first, then
environment by itself, says enough of the importance accorded the
preservation of the environment. Today, China is home to 14 out of 20 of
the most polluted cities in the world. More than 75% of the water in the
river flowing through Chinas urban areas is not potable. As such, chinas
economic success is also a source of its weakness.
Nonetheless, environmental degradation on Chinas growth has been
limited by the governments drastic policies which were made possible by
Chinas economic strength, making economic strength a form of a curb to
its weakness and not a weakness. For example in 2003, the government
gave 60billion yuan to environmental protection, including forest
protection, reclaiming farmlands for forests and combating desertification.
Greater investment in environmental protection at both the national and
local levels through campaigns like China Go Green are also put in place
to tackle the problem of environmental degradation even as China
develops. The $62billion South-North water diversion project has been
launched to supply northern China with the rich water resource of the
south. The government has also created manmade rain in patched areas
through the firing of cloud seeding projectiles. Hence, economic strength
is in fact a curb to its environmental weakness and not the weakness
itself.
Economic inequity, and hence social inequalities, is a serious weakness of
the Chinese society that was largely worsened by economic success,
hence making its economic strength also a source of its weakness. Due to
Chinas unequal development policies that had let some get rich first,
between developed coastal cities and underdeveloped inland provinces,
there is a huge income gap. Rapid urbanisation accentuates that
difference in material living standards such as education opportunities and
medical benefit between rural residents and urbanites. Coastal Chinas
GDP is 8.5trillion yuan in 2004, compared to 6.8trillion yuan, the combined
GDP of the rest of China. Gini coefficient for income distribution rose from
0.46 in 2005 to 0.477 in 2011 to 0.474 by 2012. Yet analysts still argue
that the actual disparity is much worst. While the economy achieved
double-digit growth in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 global financial
crises, 200million Chinese still lived in poverty at about US$1.25 per day.
As such, economic strength is also a cause that worsens economic equity.
Still, even though economic equity has been weakened, economic
strength which has eased the process of redistribution of income has thus
far been successful in improving the standard of living for a large majority

of the people, thus economic strength in itself is in fact not a weakness.

Due to the success of CCP at developing Chinas economy, standards of
living for both the rural residents and the urbanites have vastly and
greatly improved. Since Chinas opening up, 400million people have been
lifted out of poverty. Over 50% of China population earn at least 6000yuan
per month and are considered the middle class. Chinas annual growth
rate has averaged more than 8% in the past 25years, and in 2003, its GDP
grew by a record-breaking 9.1% despite the outbreak of SARS. 13million
jobs were created and real income for even rural residents grew by 4.3%.
As such, economic strength is a strength and not a weakness.
Economic strength has also concurrently weakened political stability due
to political challenges such as indignant dissents against the government
that have begun to surface out of economic development, hence making
its economic strength arguably also a source of its weakness. As a byproduct of Chinas economic development, the internet of liberalised in
1993. Coupled with the influx of modern and foreign ideas such as
freedom of speech and human rights, a wave of dissent is on the rise as
the better informed populace has become more vocal and critical of the
government. As of today China has about 260million Internet users, the
most in the world. The amount of resentment conveyed via the Internet is
unconceivable. Despite the Great Firewall and tens of thousands of
censors, dissenters were still able to post petitions that once would have
gone unheard. Peasants post videos of demonstrations on Youtube.
Protests have expanded so rapidly that the PAP has to be called in all over
China every day to shut them down. The anger against the government
has intensified so much that CCP has to employ propaganda teams like
the five-cent gang to moderate the tone of online debate. If the
demands of the people are continued to be ignored, CCPs mandate to
rule in the eyes of the people will be greatly injured. Hence, economic
strength in this case is also a source of its weakness.
Nevertheless, while political stability is weakened, strong economic
performance is a main source of legitimacy for CCP which without CCP will
be delegitimized immediately, thereby making it essentially a strength
and not a weakness. By bringing in prosperity for the people, economic
growth enhances the standing of CCP in the country and allows them to
have the mandate from the people to rule largely unchallenged and
without popular opposition. Just like prosperity and abundance of food and
clothing represent the Mandate of Heaven that had authorised Emperors
in the past to rule over its people, economic prosperity has been the line
of defence for CCP that have made it possible for a large majority of the
people to stay at least passively acceptant of CCPs authoritarian rule.
CCP, with its promise of people-centred development to the country, has
been able to gain the continual support of the people to unite with it in
spurring the Chinese economy. 20.95trillion yuan raked in in 2006 shows
that CCP has been successful at uniting the people through economic
development, and at the same time safeguard its legitimacy as people are
kept content with the status quo. The economic successes of the CCP

have caused the emergence of a middle class in China that largely

supports the CCP for fear of rocking the boat of prosperity. Therefore,
economic strength is essentially a strength and not a weakness.
In conclusion, CCPs economic strength is a source of its weakness as
many of the by-products of economic development bring about
undesirable effects on the Chinese society and exacerbate existing ones
at the same time. However, economic strength, with its ability to curb the
weaknesses, is distinct from the weaknesses it brings because the two do
not share a symbiotic relationship. By tracking on the path of balanced
development, China can still enjoy the benefits of economic success
without incurring the weaknesses. Hence, Chinas economic strength is
not its weaknesses.