To legitimise the CCP economic is the only way. Discuss.

After Chinas opening up in 1978, CCP has increasingly employed

economic development as the primary justification for CCPs legitimacy in
the new socio-economic realities. However, recent global financial
downturns which challenged the Chinese economy also raises doubts as
to whether CCPs legitimacy, as predicated upon economic development,
would be affected and by extension, is economic the only way to
legitimise CCP. Therefore, this essay seeks to argue that economic
development is the most important justification for CCPs rule which
without, it will lose its legitimacy, but economic is not the only way to
legitimise CCP as authoritarian rule is insufficient to be only justified by
economic success.
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. 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. In
just 2003 alone, in spite of the outbreak of SARS, 13million jobs were
created. Real income for rural residents grew by 4.3%. 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. Over 50% of China population earn
at least 6000yuan per month and are considered the middle class.
Therefore, with economic growth CCPs legitimacy is indeed strengthened.
However, subsequent leaders have expanded the basis for CCPs
legitimacy with other pillars of legitimacy that are besides economic to
suit the ever-changing socio-economic realities. Besides, economic
development, there are other pillars of CCPs legitimacy such as state
ideology, nationalism, populism and civil governance. For eg, Communism
which even up till today is still needed to support the legitimacy of CCP
because it justifies and legitimises the monopoly of political power by CCP.
Communism, with its emphasis on the socialist dictatorship explains why
CCP can be the only political party as the governing organ of China. It
confers CCP with the right to outlaw the existence of other political party
and validates the omission of elections and democratic practises. Mao

Zedong, who liberalised the country and its people through the revolution
of a civil war, as well as CCPs allegiance to Maoism, then justify why CCP
is that one party that will have unchallenged add unquestioned authority.
Anybody that wishes to join the politics of China would have to join the
cadre school since young where they would be taught Maoist values. As
such, CCP will always hold on to the ideology of Maoism as it legitimises
the monopoly of political power by CCP, thereby showing that economic is
not the only justification to CCPs legitimacy.
Still, the inadequacy of other pillars of legitimacy in legitimising CCPs rule
meant that economic development is imperative in legitimising CCP. For
example, Mao Zedong Thought cannot be a replacement for economic
development to justify for CCPs legitimacy because it has become
increasingly out of touch and with the new socio-economic needs of the
country which only economic development can address. Even with
1.4billion people and 400million of them lifted out of poverty, China still
needs to continue to sustain high growth rates to maintain its political
stability. Mao Zedong Thought, which believes in the Cultural Revolution
and the Great Leap Forward, the very same few events that had brought
about drastic repercussions to China during Maos era will not work in the
21st century just as they did not back then. Majority of the Chinese today
aspire to get white collar jobs and they want to get managerial positions.
Nobody would want to pick up the hoe and go back to the fields to start
ploughing again. As such, Maos ideas are incompatible with the current
economic structure of China. China has industrialised greatly and has
become the factory of the world. To strictly adhere to Mao Zedong
Thought is to bring China on a path of retrogression to a more backward
state and nobody in the position to influence politics in China in the
slightest sense will endorse that. Therefore, economic development is still
needed as it is the basis that allows CCP to have the mandate from the
people to rule largely unchallenged and without popular opposition.
Nevertheless, other pillars of legitimacy are needed to support the
legitimacy of CCP due to the difficulties at sustaining high growth rates.
The amount of money through corruption scandals has risen exponentially
since the 1980s. The absence of competitive political process and free
press make it such that the even the public sector is susceptible to fraud,
thefts, kickbacks and bribery. The direct cost of corruption on the economy
amount to as much as 86billion yuan each year. The need for foreign
investors to risk environmental and human rights, and financial liabilities
to compete against Chinese rivals who engage in illegal practices and the
proliferations of scandals of poisoned food and faulty products often
caused by poor quality control processes serve as a disincentive for
foreign investors to invest in China. Few western companies are willing to
transfer their advance technology to China for fear of patent rights
infringement by unscrupulous Chinese companies, which have the backing
of corrupted officials. As such, the difficulty in sustaining the high growth
rate in China meant that economic development cannot be the only pillar
of legitimacy for CCP.

Furthermore, dire consequences of economic success which have the

counter-effect of weakening CCPs legitimacy also call for the need of
other pillars of legitimacy. China has been plagued by social ills that are
by-products of its economic reforms. Economic transformation has
resulted in serious environmental degradation detrimental to the health
and social stability of China. Economic success coupled with unequal
development has also exacerbated socioeconomic inequalities. Market
reforms have also accentuated dissents against CCP regime as more
political challenges began to surface. The prevalence and rampancy of
corruption that have arisen out of Chinas economic success are rooted in
Chinas partially reformed economy and absence of genuine political
reforms. For many years, Beijing, for fear of undermining the supremacy
ruling party has lacked the political will to act against top level party
officials and this has encouraged rampant level of corruption in a patronclient structural relationship. The recent Bo Xilai saga is a good example:
Credibility of governing institutions was critically undermined; public
resentment was fuelled; massive economic distortions were resulted; and
needlessly, CCPs legitimacy was challenged. As such, other pillars of
legitimacy are needed to support the weakness of economic in
legitimising CCP.
In conclusion, the most important justification for CCPs legitimacy is
economic development as it irreplaceably provides CCP with the mandate
from the people to rule largely unchallenged and without popular
opposition. However, riddled by its inherent unpopularity, authoritarian
rule is insufficient to be only justified by economic success and other
pillars of legitimacy are needed suit the ever-changing socio-economic
realities and support the potential weakness of economic development in
legitimising CCP. Therefore, to legitimise CCP, economic is not the only
way.