'Four Comprehensives' pillars of Xism
- By John Ross
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 15, 2015
Forces seeking to prevent China's national rejuvenation have a clear (it might be said "comprehensive") policy to secure this goal – one sharpened by success in destroying the Soviet Union and imposing what President Putin rightly termed: "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century – the disintegration of the USSR." Russia was reduced from leading a state with a population of 288 million to one with only 143 million, while wars still continue to unfold on the territory of the former USSR – as Ukraine testifies.
The decisive goal of this plan to weaken China, and block achieving the Chinese Dream, is to overthrow the CPC – as it is the CPC which is China's bulwark against separatism, which created the world's most rapid economic growth, which achieved the world's fastest rise in living standards, and which has its social base in a state economic sector which, by allowing China to determine its investment level, ensures China's steady economic progress.
But forces wanting to block China's national rejuvenation are realistic. In the short term it is impossible to overturn the CPC, therefore they must attempt to find forces within the CPC that weaken it. This is the political meaning of the U.S. neo-con search for a "Chinese Gorbachev" to weaken and discredit the CPC to prepare for its overthrow.
But this runs into conflict with a second of Xism's "Four Comprehensives" – party discipline. Long before Yeltsin left the CPSU in July 1990 he and the others who led Russia to national catastrophe acted against the party's policies. Creating violation of party discipline is therefore a key to prepare weakening of China.
At this point a third of the "Four Comprehensives" – rule of law – also becomes decisive. Corruption and other measures themselves involve legal violations. But attempts to deal with such problems by arbitrary personal actions can also be damaging and discrediting – as China and other countries witnessed before. Therefore it is vital that struggle against corruption and other evils be carried out in accord with the rule of law.
Finally Xi Jinping's insistence that the fourth Comprehensive, "deepening reform," must yield visible results and improve the conditions of the people is decisive. Xi emphasized in November 2012: "Facts prove that the future and destiny of a political party and government depend on popular support. If we stray from the people and lose their support we will end up in failure." Put in more popular terms, Xi Jinping emphasized on February 27 this year that people must "feel" the beneficial effects of reform.
In some other countries, notably again Russia, "reform" became a term of abuse as so called "reforms" actually aided robbing the country, increasing inequality, corruption, and national humiliation. Therefore, only when the reform is instead associated in people's minds with long term improvement in living standards can the reform be supported by the public, the CPC's position be maintained, and respect for China be strengthened in the world.
Xism's "Four Comprehensives" are therefore not separate but an integrated whole. If implemented they form the positive means by which the Chinese Dream will be turned into reality – but also ensure those attempting to thwart China's national rejuvenation will fail.
Little wonder, therefore, that the "Four Comprehensives" created such interest not only in China but in the world.
The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/johnross.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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