-China is one of the few remaining communist nations.

-The government still remains highly authoritarian, providing evidence that marketization and privatization do not always
go hand in hand with democracy.

SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY, AND POWER

-Until the 20
th
century, Chinas history was characterized by dynastic cycles: long periods of rule by a family
punctuated by times of chaos when the family lost its power and was challenged by a new, and ultimately
successful, ruling dynasty
-Power was determined by the mandate of heaven or the right to rule as seen by the collective ancestral
wisdom that guided the empire from the heavens above.
-20
th
century communist leader Mao Ze Dong took over in 1949 and brought in a new regime with values that
often disagreed with traditional concepts of power
Legitimacy

-Before: legitimacy established through the mandate of heaven, and power passed from one emperor to
the next through hereditary connections within the ruling family
-After: (Revolution of 1911 Chinese Republic with western-educated Sun Yat-sen as its first president)
Legitimacy rests on popular government

-Peoples Republic of China (PRC)= established in 1949, and Mao Zedongs ideology known as
Maoism led the Communist Party as the new source of power until his death in 1976
-Maoism: idealistic and egalitarian, and though it endorsed centralized power exercised through the top
leaders of the party, it stressed the importance of staying connected to the peasants through a mass line
-Mass line: required leaders to listen to and communicate with ordinary folks. Without it, the legitimacy of
the rulers was questionable
-Organizing principle of Maoism= democratic centralism: communist belief in a small group of leaders
who make decisions for the people_this allowed leaders to make decisions that could not be questioned
by the people, and gave Mao almost complete control over policymaking (same w/ Leninism)
-Since Maos death, the Politburo of the Communist Party remains the legitimate source of power, but is
under great criticism in recent years
-Central Military Commission represents one important source of power. Head of the commission plays
an important role in policymaking.
Historical Traditions

Authoritarian power: Chinese citizens have traditionally been subjects (not participants) of the
political system of an empire ruled by an emperor or a small group of people. Ruling families were
always subject to attack from regional warlords_therefore, the tendency toward decentralization is
apparent in the modern regime w/ the politburo trying to control a vast population

Confucianism: it emphasized the importance of order, harmony, and family, encouraged
Chinese citizens to submit to the emperors power, and reinforced the emperors responsibility to
fulfill his duties conscientiously_ can be tied to democratic centralism

Bureaucratic hierarchy based on scholarship: The emperors surrounded themselves with
highly organized bureaucracies that formed an elite based on Confucian scholarship. Exams for
government jobs were knowledge-based a major social separation b/w a large peasant
population and the bureaucratic elite

The Middle Kingdom: Since ancient times, the Chinese have referred to their country as
zhongguo, meaning the middle kingdom/the place that is the center of society (ethnocentrism)

Communist ideologies: 20
th
century new influence of Maoism that emphasized the right
thinking and the moralism of Confucianism, but contradicted w/ the old regime with its insistence
on egalitarianism. Den Xiaoping Theory: practical mix of authoritarian political control and
economic privatization.

Political Culture

-Shaped by geographical features and by the many eras of its history: 1) dynastic rule 2) control
by imperialist nations and its aftermath 3) communist rule

Geographic Influences

-Access to oceans/ice free ports

-Many large navigable rivers

-Major geographical/climate splits b/w north and south

-Geographic isolation of the western part of the country

-Mtn. ranges, deserts, and oceans that separate China from other countries

-Vast majority of population live in urban areas in east w/ many cities located along rivers & coastal

Historical Eras

-Dynastic Rule: Political culture inherited from centuries of dynastic rule centers on Confucian
values: order, harmony, and a strong sense of hierarchy
-Resistance to imperialism: 19
th
century nationalism grew strong as China resisted attempts by
imperialist nations. Hatred of the foreign devils led China to be cautious & suspicious w/
capitalist countries ever since
-Maoism: Mao resisted inequality implied by Lenins beliefs & centered his philosophy on:

i. Collectivism: valuing the good of the country over that of the individual

ii. Struggle and activism: Mao encouraged people to pursue values of socialism

iii. Mass line: conceptualized a line of communication b/w party leaders, members, &
peasants_involved teaching and learning on everyones part

iv. Egalitarianism: hierarchy=key organizing principle before 1949, and Maos emphasis
on creating an egalitarian society=in complete opposition to it

v. Self-reliance: people under Maoist rule=encouraged to rely on their own talents
-Deng Xiaoping Theory: It doesnt matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches
mice._reflects his practical approach to solving Chinas problems. (dont worry about which
policy is used_just make sure it improved the leadership
Importance of informal Relationships

*Among political elite, power and respect depend not so much on official positions as on who has
what connections to whom

-During the early days of the PRC, these ties=largely based on reputations established during the
Long March, a 1934-1936 cross-country trek led by Mao Zedong, as Chiang Kai-sheks
nationalist army pursued his communist followers. Today, the leaders=dead, but factions of
followers compete for power, and informal relationships define each change in leadership. This
informal network a version of parent-clientelism=not apparent to the casual outside observer

*Ex: Hu Yao bang, a reformer whose death was mourned by students that led the Tiananmen
Square Protest in 1989, mentored Hu Jintao, and Deng Xiaoping designated Hu Jintao as his
successor before dying

Chinese Nationalism

-Han Chinese referred to their land as the Middle Kingdom

-Chinese nationalists fought hard against the western imperialists

-2008 Olympics was intended to showcase Chinas growing place in the world

-Tibetans and other minority groups are seen as inferior

-Many Chinese thought the global economic crisis of late 2008 demise of U.S. Chinas global
ascendancy of the Middle Kingdom

-At the G-20 meeting of the 20 largest economies in April 2009, Chinese nationalists saw
significance in the fact that President Hu Jintao stood to the right of Gordon Brown ^^




POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

-Unlike Russia, China rose to regional hegemony (control of surrounding countries) very early in
its history_it has ranked as one of the most influential political systems in the world for many
centuries

-pattern of dynastic cycles: Mongols in 13
th
centuryMing who restored Han controlQing/pure
dynasty in the 17
th
century

Change Before 1949

-In recent years 1) control by imperialistic nations [19
th
c] and 2) revolutionary upheavals [20
th
c]
have threatened the stability and provided challenges to modern China

Control by Imperialistic Countries

-19
th
century Qing Dynasty fell to imperialist nations, and they carved China into spheres of
influence for their own economic gain.

Revolutionary Upheavals

-Three themes dominated the revolutionary era from 1911-1949:

i. Nationalism: The Chinese wished to recapture strength & power from the imperialist
nationsRevolution of 1911 led by Sun Yat-sen_was a successful attempt to
reestablish China as an independent country.

ii. Establishing a new political community: 2 people answered the ? of what kind of gov
would modern China adopt?_Chiang kai-shek founded the Nationalist Party
(Guomindang) and Mao Zedong founded the Chinese Communist Party

iii. Socioeconomic development: Major challenge of the 20
th
century=reestablishment of
a strong economic and social fabric after the years of imperialistic control.

The Legend of the Long March

-The pursuit of Maos army across China by Chiang and his supporters=unsuccessful. Mao
eluded him until Chiang had to turn his attentions to the invading Japanese. *Maos loyal friends
lived to be prominent leaders of the PRC after its founding in 1949
^read marker event on pg. 266 (about increased women rights)
The Founding of the Peoples Republic of China 1946-1966

-PRC born from civil war b/w Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and Communists under Mao
Zedong. Maos army forced Chiang and his supporters off the mainland to the island of Taiwan
(Formosa). Chiang claimed that his headquarters in Taiwan=true government. Two Chinas,
PRC (led by Mao) becomes recognized as a nation by the United Nations in 1972

-Early political development of PRC:
A. The Soviet Model: the SU began to put money and expertise into the PRC. With help,
Mao and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) turned to social problems:
-Land reform: Redistributed property from the rich to the poor and increased
productivity in the countryside
-Civil reform: set about to free people from opium addiction and greatly enhanced
womens legal rights. legitimized Maos gov in eyes of people
-Five-Year Plans: CCP launched plans to nationalize industry and collectivize
agriculture.
B. The Great Leap Forward: 1958 Mao changed directions to a utopian effort to
transform China into a radical egalitarian society_emphasis was mainly on economics:
-All-around development: not just heavy industry but equal emphasis on
agriculture
-Mass mobilization: effort to turn #s of people into an asset- better motivation,
harder workers, and less unemployment
-Political unanimity and zeal: emphasis on party workers running gov, not
bureaucrats. Cadres= party workers at the lowest levels-expected to
demonstrate party devotion by encouraging people to work as hard as they could
-Decentralization: encouraged more gov on the local level; less central control
*The Great Leap Forward didnt live up to its name_Maos efforts to counter the traditional
political culture (bureaucratic centralism)=unsuccessful
The Cultural Revolution- 1966-1976
-Mao allowed Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping to implement market-oriented policies that revived
the economy.
-Reform encompassed political, social, and economic changes
*main goal=to purify party, but also to remove all vestiges of the old china and its hierarchical
bureaucracy
-Important principles:
i. Ethic of struggle

ii. Mass line

iii. Collectivism

iv. Egalitarianism

v. Unstinting service to society
-Maos death in 1976 left his followers divided into factions:
i. Radicals: led by Maos wife, Jiang Qing, one of the Gang of Four who
supported the radical goals of the cultural revolution.

ii. Military: Led by Lin Biao, who died in a mysterious airplane crash in
1971 o.O

iii. Moderates: led by Zhou Enlai_emphasized economic modernization and
limited contract w/ other countries (died few days after Mao)

Deng Xiaopings modernizations
-Four Modernizations= invented by Zhou Enlai before death- industry, agriculture, science,
and the military=at heart of countrys official policy ever since
-Open door trade policy: trade w/ everyone_including capitalist nations
-Reforms in education: higher academic standards
-Institutionalization of the Revolution: restoring the legal system and bureaucracy of the Old
China, and decentralizing the gov- modifying elections, and infusing capitalism



CITIZENS, SOCIETY AND THE STATE

Ethnic Cleavages

*Leadership of country= from MaoDeng Jiang ZeminHu Jintao

-Chinas ethnic population=mainly Han Chinese and minority groups=only about 8% of the PRCs
population_but autonomous areas like Tibet and Xinjiang=60%+ of these minorities, and have
great resistance to the gov.
-gov puts a great deal of time & effort into policies regarding ethnic groups
-most minorities live on or near borders w/ other countries & they all add up to ~100 million
citizens_most are in the five autonomous regions of: Guangzi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet,
and Xinjiang
Read about Tibetans and Uyghurs on pg. 272

Linguistic Diversity
-Great linguistic diversity, though they have shared a written language for many centuries
-Communist regime has tried to make Mandarin the official language of the gov and education_
2006 china repressed Shanghainese/Cantonese, but in 2008 Education minister of Hong Kong
lifted restrictions, forcing many secondary schools to teach in Cantonese
Urban-Rural Cleavages
-Important divide in Chinese society= b/w rural and urban areas b/c most economic growth over
the past few decades has taken place in cities
-Divide also included social lifestyle differences which oftenupsurge in protests in rural areas
-In Hunan Province, 1000s of farmers protested excessive taxes and corruption of local officials
-In reaction to upsurges, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao announced in 2006 a new government
emphasis on a new socialist countryside a program to lift the lagging economy. He
recognized the problems rural people faced
-2011 In Inner Mongolia, protests broke out in several towns after the apparent hit-and-run killing
of a Mongol herder by a Chinese Han_gov sent police and paramilitary troops even though
justice was promised to the aggrieved herders
Political Participation

-The communist state redefined political participation by shaping the economic relationship b/w
citizens and the government. However, old traditions that governed personal ties and
relationships still influence the actions and beliefs of elites and citizens

- recently, increase in popular social movements: support of democracy, religious beliefs, and
community ties over nationalism theyre helping China define relationships w/ other countries

Party and Participation

-The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has 58 million members, but is only 8% of the total
population_amost 73m Chinese youths belonged to the Youth League by 2007 (where they
recruit)

-Maoist era= cadres led CCP at all levels, and Deng era=technocrats people with technical
training who have climbed the ladder of the party bureaucracy have led the party increasingly

-7 members of the current Standing Committee have academic and professional backgrounds in
technical fields and 5 of them were trained as engineers

- <40% come from peasantry, and women make up ~20% of the membership + only ~4% of the
Central Committee

-2001 President Jiang Zemins presidency: ~1/4-1/3 of the entrepreneurs became CCP members

The Growth of Civil Society

-private organizations focus on social problems such as the environment, AIDS, and legal reform

-Hu Jintao announced a policy of harmonious development that allows the state to solicit public
opinion before expanding the countrys infrastructure or sponsoring economic development_but
citizens still protest/ complain that gov lacks transparency

-1990s Beijing allowed non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to register w/ the gov

-Christianity and Buddhism=rebounding after years of suppression

Protests

-religious groups such as Falcon Gong have staged major protests, village protests have made
their way into the news, and thousands of labor strikes have been reported

Riots in Tibet and Protest to the Torch Relay

-autonomous region in western China_riots in Lhasa, the capital city. Protests became violent
after 300 monks demanded other monks be released Tibetans and non-Tibetans rioted, looted,
burnt, and killed

-Dalai Lama= blamed by Chinas premier Wen Jiabao

-2008 torch relay of the 2008 Summer Olympics= met my protesters inspired by the Tibetan riots

Riots in Xinjiang

-July 2009 riots broke out in Urumqui, capital city of Xinjiang_sparked by Uyghur dissatisfaction
w/ the way the central gov handled the deaths of two workers during previous disruptions

-Xinhua, Chinas official news media, reported that the death toll from the riots was 197 & 100+
=hospitalized

-Part of unrest=due to hukou, Chinas traditional household registration system that makes it
difficult to move from one place to another.



POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

-regime is best characterized as authoritarian in which political elites make decisions w/o much
input from citizens

-now decentralization, or devolution of power to subnational governments=major feature of
economic decision making

-Unlike the SU, the CCP integrates is military into the political hierarchy_political elites are
frequently recruited from the military. The head of the central Military Commission= the most
powerful leader

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

-The party bases its claim to legitimacy not on the expressed will of the people but on
representation of the historical best interests of all the peoples

The Organization of the CCP

-National Party Congress: 2000+ members, meets every 5 years, main power= elects members
of the central committee

-Central Committee: ~340 members, meet annually for about a week_meetings are called
plenums. Members present at the meetings are elected to the politburo and the standing
committee

-Politburo/Standing Committee: very top of CCP structure, chosen by the Central Committee_
their decisions dictate government policies. There are 24 Central Committee members, and the
Standing Committee has only 7 meet in secret and discuss the balance of power among
factions and their policymaking powers

Non-Communist Parties

-Even though China has an effective 1- party system, it allows 8 democratic parties_each party
has a special group that it draws from (intellectuals or businessmen)

-They serve an important advisory role to the party leaders

Elections

-CCP controls the commissions that run elections, and it reviews draft lists of proposed
candidates

-The only direct elections are held at the local level with voters choosing deputies to serve on the
county peoples congresses_since 1980s, more than 1 candidate=allowed to run for country
positions

The Political Elite

-Compatriots that made the Long March w/ Mao became known as the Old Guard: a group of
friends that networked with one another for many years through guanxi/ personal connections
- China recruits leaders through nomenklatura: a system of choosing cadres from lower levels of
the party hierarchy for advancement based on their loyalty
-Chinese leaders communicate through a patron-client network called guanxi (local level too)
Factionalism

-Conservatives: they worry that perhaps the power of the party and the central government as
eroded too much_mainly worried about movement toward democracy. Most prominent leader had
been Li Peng, the former chair of the National Peoples Congress

-Reformers/open door: supports major capitalist infusion in the PRCs economy and generally
promotes an open door trade policy. Leaders push for membership in the World Trade
Organization, and their political attitudes=pragmatic. Two important leaders: 1) Jiang Zemin-
PRC President and CCP General Secretary until 2003 2) Zhu Rongji- former governor of the
central bank and the PRC Premier until 2003. Current president and prime minister Hu Jintao
and Wen Jiabao (respectively) too have allied in this faction
-Liberals: out of power since Tiananmen Square incident, but they support economic and
political reform. Two famous leaders: 1) Hu Yuobang- whose death started the Tiananmen
protests 2) Zhao Ziyang- premier and General Secretary who was ousted for being too
sympathetic w/ the protest
-Princelings: leaders from an aristocracy of families w. revolutionary credentials form the days
of Mao Zedong. Their policy preferences=not clear
*Factions follow the process of fang-shou: tightening up, loosening up cycle (of power)
Corruption

-Combination of guanxi and the economic boom rampant corruption w/in economic & political
system

-President Jiang Zemin 1997 The fight against corruption is a grave political struggle vital to the
very existence of the party and the state If corruption cannot be punished effectively, our Party
will lose the support and confidence of the people.
-Under President Hu Jintao, thousands of officials have recently been punished for corruption
-2007 Chinese gov=embarrassed by international publicity about tainted food, health products,
and drugs making their way throughout the world market head of Beijings most powerful food
and drug regulating agency=arrested
Interest Groups

-party-state tries to preempt the formation of independent groups by forming mass organizations
in which people may express their points of view within strict limits. (ex: All-China Federation of
Trade Unions)

-In urban areas, the party maintains social control through danwei: social units usually based on
a persons place of work

-despite ever-present control, went from virtually no interest groups 300,000 NGOs

-these organizations and the states relationship w/ them reflects state corporatism- 1) most
organizations are created/approved by the state and have gov officials as leaders OR 2) state
only allows only one organization for an given profession (reduces competition easier to control)

Media

-until 1980s, almost all media= state run.
-Official press agency of the gov= Xinhua_employs 10,000+
-Peoples Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the CCP, also depends on
Xinhua.
-Chinese Central Television (CCTV^^)= major state television broadcaster & it broadcasts to 1
billion+ viewers
-internet is widespread, but government still has regulatory agencies that constantly monitor
subjects considered taboo by the government
INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT

-Political structure best seen as three parallel hierarchies:
i. The Communist Party
ii. The state or government
iii. The Peoples Liberation Army
-relationship b/w party and gov= controlled by principle of dual role: vertical supervision of the
next higher level of government and horizontal supervision of the Communist Party at the same
level
The Structure of the Government

-three branches exist (legislature, executive, judiciary) but all=controlled by party

The Peoples Congresses

-government authority=formally vested in a system of peoples congresses, which begins w/ a
National Peoples Congress at the top and continues in hierarchical levels down throughout
provincial, city, and local congresses

-chooses the president and vice president, but there is only one party-sponsored candidate

-Meetings are important b/c Politburos decisions are formally announced

Executive/Bureaucracy

-President and vice president serve 5 year terms (limit 2) and must be at least 45 y.o.
_expected to step down to comply w/ the mandatory retirement age as written in the constitution

-Premier=head of government_elected by the president but always someone from the Standing
Committee directs the many ministries and commissions of the bureaucracy

The Judiciary

-has a four-tiered peoples court system, organized hierarchically

-nationwide organization called the peoples procuratorate provides public prosecutor and
defenders to the court.

-After 1978, Chinese leaders began to develop new legal ideas and institutions that included this
important concept of rule of law
-the criminal justice system works swiftly and harshly, w/ a conviction rate of more than 99% in all
cases that come to trial :O
The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)
-encompasses all of the countrys ground, air, and naval armed services_huge army w/ 3million
active personnel and ~12 million reserves

-Mao Our principle is that the party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to
command the party.

-2 of the 24 members of the Politburo=military officers, and PLA representatives make up 20%+
of the Central Committee membership

-2003 Jiang Zemins retention of his position as head of the Central Military Commission despite
stepping down as president showed he still had power
***look at chart on pg. 289 (hierarchies=organized here & vertical and horizontal supervision= explained)



POLICYMAKING AND POLITICAL ISSUES

-Since the beginning of Deng Xiaopings rule in 1979, policymaking in China has centered on
reconciling centralized political authority with marketization and privatization of the economy.

Policymaking Process: Fang-shou

-letting go and tightening-up cycle consists of three types of actions/policies:
i. Economic reform
ii. Political movements (letting go)
iii. Tightening-up by the CCP
***this cycle is characterized by a lack of transparency_policymakers meet behind closed doors



POLICY ISSUES

-Four categories:
i. Democracy and human rights issues
ii. Population issues
iii. Economic issues
iv. Foreign policy and international trade issues

Democracy and Human Rights

-After Deng, Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji had followed Dengs path of economic reform and
resistance to political reform. Hu Jintao (leader since 2003) mostly takes this path too

***Look at chart on page 293 for Fang-shou in modern China

-Some democratic reforms can be seen:
i. Some input from the National Peoples Congress is accepted by the Politburo
ii. More emphasis is placed on laws and legal procedures
iii. Village elections are now semi=competitive, which choices of candidates and some
freedom from the partys control
-After brutal shootings at Tiananmen Square, China=under a great deal of pressure from
international human rights organizations to democratize their political process and to abide by
human rights standards advocated by the groups
The Rule of Law

-almost always associated with liberal democracies_is based on thebelief that rulers should not
have absolute power over their subjects, and that their actions should be constrained by the
same principles that control ordinary citizens
-Legal codes have begun to revive b/c of the new economic growth recreation of
procuratorates that investigate and prosecute official crimes
-No independent judiciary ever existed in the PRC, but under tight control of CCP
Civil Rights and Liberties

-Hu Jintao shows few signs of changing the governments basic political policies toward individual
civil liberties and rights.

-he regulates discussions on university sites, and he called for an ideological education

Population Policy
-Mao said ever expanding was a good thing (after his death) twochild policy Den
Xiaoping instituted the one child policy [later relaxed in rural areas]
-birth rate down from 25 to 18, and female infanticide increased_there will be too few kids to take
care of the growing number of elderly people
-Exceptions for couples in which both partners are single, and also for minorities
Economic Policy

-1949-1978 China followed a communist political economic model: a command economy directed
by a central gov based on democratic centralism_Mao called this policy the iron rice bowl

-The failure of ^(above) made Deng Xiaoping begin a series of economic reforms that make up
the socialist market economy: gradual infusion of capitalism while still retaining state control

Agricultural Policy

-The peoples communes: During the Great Leap Forward, farms were merged into gigantic
peoples communes_were very weak and the production+ rural living standards showed little
improvement

-Household responsibility system: Early 1980s Deng dismantled communes and replaced
them with this. Individual families take full charge of the production and market of crops.

Private Business

-1988 National Peoples Congress officially created a new category of private business under
the control of the party

-included urban co-ops, service organizations, and rural industries that largely operate as
capitalist enterprises this system of state controlled private businesses- bamboo capitalism

-fastest growing sector of the Chinese economy= township and village enterprises
(TVEs)_rural factories and businesses that vary greatly in size, and are run by local government
and private entrepreneurs

Economic Problems

Unemployment and inequality: Economic growth has made some very rich and some
very poor

-growing inequality created a floating population of rural migrants seeking job
opportunities in cities

-many critics believe that China wont be able to sustain its growth unless its poor
begin to share the prosperity, earning enough money to buy goods and services
that will broaden the economy

Inefficiency of the state sector: Over the years the state-owned sector of the economy
has gradually declined so that today almost 3/4
th
of industrial production is privately
owned.

Pollution: Beijing and Shanghai have some of the most polluted air in the world

-too much sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide=emitted, but reducing industrial
output could ruin the economic progress of the past few decades.

-State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has been upgraded to a
ministry position, and so state coordination of environmental policy may improve

Product Safety: 2007 Chinese factories were caught exporting poisonous
pharmaceutical ingredients, bogus pet food, faulty tires, etc._but government couldnt do
much b/c it had lost direct control over production to local governments

-due to the global economic crisis of 2008, during the last months, the GDP fell
sharply. But it rebounded impressively in 2009 and expanded by more than 10%
in 2010.

-one reason for quick recovery in 2009= b/c gov passed a large stimulus bill that
poured money into the economy_Pump-priming based on Keynesian economic
theory

Foreign Policy and International Trade
-In the areas of trade, China has integrated into the world community in almost unprecedented
ways_has trading partners all over the world, and it is an integral part of the growing economy
Foreign Policy under Mao
-Until Maos death in 1976, the PRC based its foreign policy on providing support for third world
revolutionary movements (Korean Vietnam)
-During the 1920s and 1950s the U.S.S.R. gave lots of $ but Mao decided that the Soviets had
turned their backs on Marx and revolution Chinas independent path from Moscows control
U/S Chinese Relations
-With Mao sick and weak, reformist Zhou Enlai opened the door to western contact_Nixon and
Sec of State Henry Kissinger engineered negotiations
-After Deng Xiaopings leadership in 1978, the open door policy led the way to more substantial
contact
-Today U.S. imports many more products from China than it exports
International Trade and Business
-Four Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were established in 1979_foreign investors were given
preferential tax rates and other incentives_5 years later 14 more areas=SEZs, and today foreign
investments and free market mechanisms have spread to most of the rest of urban China
-Now a member of the World Trade Organization and has most favored nation status for trading
with the U.S. x)
-Recognition of Chinas new economic power=when Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997
Hong Kong

-1997 British ceded control of Hong Kong to mainland China under a one country, two systems
agreement signed by Britain and China in 1984_HK enjoys a high degree of autonomy

-2003 Tung Chee-Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administration region, moved
to sell government-owned public housing and business properties w/o consultation w/ the partially
elected legislature half a million people marching the streets to protest Beijings lack of
movement toward wider popular representation and an elected governor

Taiwan

-Since post-WWII, Taiwan has claimed to be the Republic of China b/c Chiang Kai-shek went
there after being driven out by Mao Zedong

-Until the 1970s, it was recognized as the sole legitimate representative of china but lost it in 1971

-In recent years, the Chinese government has made is calim to Taiwan clear, but the Taiwanese
government does not agree

-Political parties in Taiwan are split in their attitudes about how to respond to Chinas claims

-Regular crossings across the Taiwan Strait began in the weekends of July 2008, and weekday
services=added by the end of the year