why cannot the democracy set up in China be called a true democracy
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First of all, China already runs on a quasi-democratic system, although it's just one party. But we all know what you are asking, ‘why China can’t have something like the UK or the US?’.
I would attempt to answer why China “can't” have a democracy with a few sub-questions: 1. Do Chinese people see a problem with the current system, and hence, do they want a democracy? 2. Is China ready for a democracy to work properly?
The main concern of a non-liberal democracy like China’s is the lack of political voice and oppression of liberty and dissents. Having lived under a paternalistic form of government for the past few thousand years, and through constant economic hardships, majority of Chinese people simply do not have the level of liberty desire that westerners imagine Chinese people “should” have. Most of them want at the current stage is a stable environment in which they can have a higher standard of living. In his “Future of Freedom”, Zakaria also analyzed how economic prosperity is an important prerequisite for sustainable democracy (yes I know china has the 2nd largest GDP, but the per capita count is still low and distribution is very uneven). Also, the Chinese system holds an advantage in its governing efficiency and long-term planning of its government policies. In addition, the intense competition within the party means competency and experience are important for any Chinese government official who wish to rise to the top (although we have to acknowledge nepotism and corruption do play some role). Effectively, that means people like Trump would never rise to be the chairman. In addition, the desire for western democracy is further diminished when people see the chaos in the Middle East and even USA in the name of democracy. People could go “the democratic system in the US can't handle a few races, our 56 nationalities may be better off with an authoritative regime”. (In fact, I would further cite Singapore as an example of how stability in multicultural societies requires a degree of authoritarian rule)
I would attempt to answer why China “can't” have a democracy with a few sub-questions: 1. Do Chinese people see a problem with the current system, and hence, do they want a democracy? 2. Is China ready for a democracy to work properly?
The main concern of a non-liberal democracy like China’s is the lack of political voice and oppression of liberty and dissents. Having lived under a paternalistic form of government for the past few thousand years, and through constant economic hardships, majority of Chinese people simply do not have the level of liberty desire that westerners imagine Chinese people “should” have. Most of them want at the current stage is a stable environment in which they can have a higher standard of living. In his “Future of Freedom”, Zakaria also analyzed how economic prosperity is an important prerequisite for sustainable democracy (yes I know china has the 2nd largest GDP, but the per capita count is still low and distribution is very uneven). Also, the Chinese system holds an advantage in its governing efficiency and long-term planning of its government policies. In addition, the intense competition within the party means competency and experience are important for any Chinese government official who wish to rise to the top (although we have to acknowledge nepotism and corruption do play some role). Effectively, that means people like Trump would never rise to be the chairman. In addition, the desire for western democracy is further diminished when people see the chaos in the Middle East and even USA in the name of democracy. People could go “the democratic system in the US can't handle a few races, our 56 nationalities may be better off with an authoritative regime”. (In fact, I would further cite Singapore as an example of how stability in multicultural societies requires a degree of authoritarian rule)
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