Introduction: How to summarize the successful experience of the Communist Party of China? How to understand the role of the Chinese Communist Party in China's political system? What positive role will China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China bring to world development? Yu Shougen, director of the Institute of East Asian Studies in South Korea, told the Observer Network, "China has become a veritable G2 country, and the international community expects China to become a leading country that has made greater contributions." ”
Yu Shougen, Director of the Korea Institute of East Asian Studies
Observer Network: You said before that "the key to the CPC's ability to comprehensively lead the development of the cause of the party and the state is to have a large contingent of high-quality party members and cadres." "How to sum up the successful experience of the Chinese Communist Party?
Yu Shougen: There is a Korean saying called "three people and three colors", which means that even if only three people get together, there will be different opinions, and it is difficult to work together to move in one direction. From this point of view, it is not easy for China, with its vast territory and vast population, to maintain the "two miracles" of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.
As the American writer Pearl Buck argues in her novel The Good Earth, China seemed like a desperate country struggling to escape poverty in the 1930s. Against such a backdrop of poverty, Chinese society has experienced continuous chaos and abyss.
What would pearl buck do when he saw that China, which had a bleak outlook, had achieved a well-off and upright rise to become a G2 country today?
In ancient and modern China and abroad, the importance of leaders cannot be overemphasized. In human history, there are many examples of nations that rise and fall depending on what kind of leaders they meet. China has been able to achieve the earth-shaking development it has today precisely because the Chinese Communist Party, as its leader, has the ability to achieve this goal.
Since the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921, I have experienced China's modern and contemporary history with the people for a hundred years. No one is perfect, no one can create a flawless political system, and the Chinese Communist Party is not a perfect existence, which is unavoidable. However, the Chinese Communist Party has constantly reflected in order to achieve greater progress and has always stood with the people and shared weal and woe. In the process, the Chinese Communist Party has become more and more supported by Chinese people, and China has been able to achieve sustainable development.
Observer Network: During the epidemic, thousands of Chinese Communist Party members have voluntarily applied to go to the frontline of the fight against the epidemic, demanding the hardest and most dangerous work. How to evaluate the role of the Communist Party of China and its members in winning the fight against the epidemic?
Yu Shougen: This is also one of the "warm" faces of Chinese Communists that are difficult to find in political parties in other countries, especially in Western European countries. Let's take a look at the ferocity of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, when members of major political parties in other countries were in full swing. How many members of the ruling or other major political parties in the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 like members of the Communist Party of China in order to safeguard the security of the country and the people?!
As far as I know, the prioritization of social security by members of the Communist Party of China is not limited to the covid-19 response period. Whenever various natural disasters occur on the land of China, the Communists are the first to stand out. It is precisely because of their dedication that China has been able to deal with various difficulties and challenges in a standardized and effective manner and minimize losses. As a result, the Chinese Communist Party is judged to be a "stable presence to rely on," while political parties in other countries are unlikely to receive such an appraisal.
Pingxiang, Jiangxi: Party members and volunteers live-streamed goods to drive farmers to increase their incomes and become rich. Image source: Visual China
Observer Network: You talked about the cpc's ability to innovate in theory, how to understand the word "characteristics" of socialism with Chinese characteristics? What is the value of this feature for the development of Marxism?
Yu Shougen: In socialism with Chinese characteristics, the word "characteristics" symbolizes China's distinctive "development inclusiveness" and "creative flexibility".
First of all, for Marxism, considering the values and ideals it pursues, there are still many contents worthy of our continuous study. However, the current world is very different from the social development situation of Marx's lifetime, and primitive Marxism is not suitable for direct application in the present. With this in mind, we should accept the usefulness of primitive Marxism, combine it with today's social development, conform to the requirements of the times, and revise and apply it with "characteristics".
Second, the basic national conditions of each country are different. Because it is a very creative way to achieve development and prosperity, to further develop the original socialist ideology and to better suit China's national conditions. The "characteristics" in socialism with Chinese characteristics not only embody the attitude of cherishing the past and inheriting the original appearance of Marxism, but also show a flexible posture of adapting to the needs of development, adapting to local conditions and facing the future.
Observer Network: The most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, which is very different from the Western political system and is often misunderstood by the West as "authoritarianism". How do you understand the role of the Chinese Communist Party in China's political system?
Yu Shougen: Western societies often accuse the Chinese Communist Party of being a so-called "dictatorial party" and the Chinese political system as a so-called "authoritarian". If they had a deeper understanding and understanding of China and the Chinese Communist Party, they would not hold this view.
First, Western society denounces the one-party system as a "dictatorship" and sees it as a disadvantage to the regression of social development. Is this really the case? Generally speaking, it will not be easy for countries with large sizes and large populations to achieve comprehensive and stable development, while China has achieved earth-shaking changes under a one-party system. And how do you explain this phenomenon? In this light, the view that "the one-party system is a bad system that abuses power and imposes an authoritarian dictatorship" is a prejudice. I believe that the key to the one-party system lies in the use of factors such as the character, level, and ability of the subjects of this system.
In this regard, I occasionally imagine what would happen if China had a multi-party system instead of a one-party system. For example, what about the two-party system in the United States? If in order to compete for power, the whole society will be in a state of extreme opposition every four years. In the absence of social stability, can China really achieve rapid social development like today? Moreover, if the "right" is in power, then the main policies promoted by the "left" may be abolished, and can the medium- and long-term economic development strategy that China has always adhered to be implemented under the condition of "uncertainty between left and right"?
The unconditional criticism of the "authoritarian" system is also deplorable. It is true that there are more constraints in Chinese society than in other Western countries, but it is therefore incorrect to take a comprehensive negative attitude towards China. It is precisely because the Chinese government has great power that China has been able to achieve ultra-high-speed development as it does today. If the Chinese government is weak and powerless to ensure social stability, and people must have guns to seek their own safety, will today's Chinese people really be able to ensure their own safety? In addition, in some countries that claim to be non-authoritarian regimes, heavily armed police officers often use public power to exercise violence. In China, the public security police are as warm as the uncle next door, riding bicycles to greet the villagers and guard the safety of the area.
Even liberal democratic systems have differences between American, British, French, Japanese, and Indian styles, and the actual way of expression will vary according to the circumstances of each country. That is to say, there is no one-size-fits-all political system anywhere in the world. All countries should therefore develop political systems that were commensurate with their actual conditions.
Observer Network: The Chinese Communist Party has embarked on the second century of struggle, but the world is currently facing many crises such as epidemics, wars, and economies. As a member of the world, what positive role will China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China play in promoting world development?
Yu Shougen: China has become a veritable "G2" country, and the international community expects China to assume more responsibilities and obligations, and expects China not only to become a "leading country" at the scale of territory and population, but also to become a "leading country" that plays a more active role and makes greater contributions to the international community.
The international community's attention to China is increasing day by day, and China's every move has become or will become the focus of public opinion. In this context, more and more countries are paying more attention to their relations with China. I also learned more about it from my friends who are involved in the activities of the international community, the principal officials and politicians of various countries, and so on. But unfortunately, China doesn't seem to have read their hearts yet...
Countries in the global community are also well aware of the various risks and challenges facing China. Many countries just shy away from words like gold and watch silently. And in order to get closer to China, they may need to look at the eyes of other countries. China should devote more attention and concern to this, approach them cordially, and not let them feel embarrassed.
Time and power are on China's side! In the past thirty years, I have studied in Japan, the United States, China and other countries, have been living overseas, and often communicate with friends around the world; On this basis, I would like to say, China! Relax a little more! Don't get caught up in the trap of a smaller and fewer anti-China forces on their feet, or become a person who is similar to them and "laughs at a hundred steps with fifty steps." How about showing the international community more resolutely and resolutely the style of a major country in all aspects?
Observer Network: China's common prosperity policy is widely welcomed in China, but also caused discussions from all walks of life at home and abroad, of course, the goal of common prosperity is not limited to pure economic goals, how to view the socio-political impact of the common prosperity policy?
Yu Shougen: There is a Korean saying that "the warehouse is out of the heart" (equivalent to "the warehouse is full and knows the etiquette"), which means that people can only become full in their hearts if they are financially rich. If the gap between rich and poor narrows, society will also become more secure and stable. At the same time, this will not only further promote the development of the country, but also enhance the country's international image and help in handling foreign relations.
Similarly, the more countries in society as a whole with a certain amount of material wealth, the more they will contribute positively to the international community. From this perspective, the policy of common prosperity should not be limited to the values that a particular country should pursue, but should also be a common goal that all mankind should pursue together.
Observer Network: 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, how to evaluate the friendship between China and South Korea in the past 30 years? Now that Yoon Seok-yue's election has brought new changes to China-South Korea relations, how do you see the next step of China-South Korea relations?
Yu Shougen: Over the past 30 years, the relations between the ROK and China have made remarkable development achievements. In this regard, many experts have explained it by citing various statistical data. But I want to think about it from a humanistic perspective. Geopolitically, China and South Korea are close neighbors. Before the establishment of diplomatic relations, although the two countries were geographically close, they were not so close psychologically and emotionally. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and south Korea, the two countries can be described as geographically close and similar in feelings.
"My China-Korea Public Diplomacy" lecture scene. Image source: Yangtze River Daily
On the other hand, let's think about it carefully, which two countries in the world can be so similar and so close as China and South Korea? The similarities between the two countries are not just similar to the "outside". From the standpoint of Chinese, South Korea is influenced by Chinese Confucian customs, traditional customs, and cultural habits. On the contrary, the same is true of analysis from the standpoint of The Koreans.
How many countries have studied the poems of the famous Chinese poets Du Fu and Li Bai since childhood, and have deeply studied and practiced the teachings of the Four Books and Five Classics of China in their lives? Even if we only consider the above points, we can know how similar the two countries are, and it is difficult to say that the two countries are a strange and heterogeneous foreign country to each other.
In the 20th century, the relationship between South Korea and China, under the influence of different political systems and other factors, was estranged from each other, even to the point of aiming at each other at gunpoint and preparing for battle. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two sides began to treat each other with a positive attitude. From this point of view, we can say that in the past 30 years, the bilateral relations between the ROK and China have made very solid progress.
When I think of the current South Korea-China relationship, I think of the phrase "good things and more grinding." It is very regrettable that the ROK-China relations, which have been developing very smoothly, have fallen into a situation of good things and many troubles. With south Korea's new government coming to power, the future of relations between the two countries can be described as a dark cloud. We don't know if this is just a dark cloud, or if it will bring a few showers, or if it will bring a fierce storm.
I have always regarded international relations as a lifelong career, and I have met many people who are engaged in Korean diplomacy and security. They commented: "The staff officers in charge of foreign and security affairs of the Yin Xiyue government are all people with Cold War mentality, which cannot be understood!" "How can we rely on these people to properly conduct current and future diplomacy?" This worries me very much. So after the new South Korean government came to power, I was worried about China-South Korea relations.
There will also be unexpected adversities in life. Whenever this time comes, we should bear with it and stick to it. And if the moment of suffering experience is regarded as a trial of rebirth, and the crisis is truly turned into an opportunity, it will surely reappear in front of the world in a stronger posture. Unfortunately, I think that in the future, the relationship between South Korea and China will decline until the new South Korean government recognizes the reality, which may be a long time, or it may be very short...
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