Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Friday, July 29, 2011

If everybody would just follow orders

The Chinese call it democratic centralism. It's difficult to see how democratic the system is, but it's pretty easy to see how centralized it is.

I think the propaganda department's headline writer for this article needs some re-education. Modern Communists in China don't talk about the "party line" any more. That's so 20th century. The preferred term these days is "harmonious society."

Chinese vice president urges Tibetans to follow Party line to build better future

Vice President Xi Jinping Thursday urged Tibetans to unswervingly follow the Communist Party of China (CPC) to build a brighter future…

Addressing... villagers, Xi said it was the socialist system, the correct leadership of the CPC, and the implementation of various preferential policies that led Tibetan people to their good life today.

"People of all ethnicities in Tibet need to understand that stability leads to prosperity and separatist activities lead to disasters," he said…

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R, Front) meets with party cadres during a visit to… China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 21, 2011. Xi Jinping is in Tibet to attend celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the region's peaceful liberation.