Comment Re:No surprise to those watching China (Score 1) 262
Stop. Just - stop.
China is not a communist nation. Communism is a Marxist system of economics and government in which the state owns the goods and means of production and (in theory) distributes the goods equally to all people.
Starting with Deng in 1976, the economic reforms pushed through the Chinese state have transformed it into a authoritarian capitalist society. There is no communism, and little socialism left. These are not little Soviet robots trying to insert sleeper cells so they can rise up and conquer us with their ideograms. The Chinese people are going through their version of our Industrial Revolution, except with the firm hand of government directing it (as much as they are able). 70% of the Chinese GDP is private, not state-owned.
There is/was a political slogan in China concerning those economic reforms: "Mao gave us liberation -- Deng gave us food."
You throw the words Marxism-Leninism and Communism around pretty carelessly. Marx proscribed a very specific version of economics and government (and the path to achieve those) that was eventually *rejected* by Mao. A major reason of this rejection is that Marx saw the proletarian revolution as being primarily focused on the industrial workers in the cities (which was the case in Russia). China had a much more agrarian society, and the Chinese had to revise the Marxist ideology to focus on the peasants. Mao was only able to win the Chinese Civil War because he had the support of the peasantry.
(I would also like to point out that my views on what China is and is not do not come from journalists who want to play armchair general - in addition to reading, I spend a lot of time with Chinese immigrants and first and second generation Chinese-Americans. I've spoken with former Communist Party members about politics and with Chinese intellectuals about economics.)
As for the further materials you referenced: Bill Gertz reports for the Washington Times (a conservative newspaper) and FOX News. So, I'd take his opinions (particularly his 2005 WT article "The Chinese Dragon Awakens") with a grain of salt. Your bias is showing.
(FULL DISCLOSURE: My company has a branch office in Beijing. I have studied Chinese modern history and philosophy. I am currently studying Mandarin. I do not give in to fear mongering that America has to have an enemy and that all countries that do not pander to us but instead actively look out for their own self-interests are inherently evil.)
Good Reference Material:
China: A Century of Revolution (Hard to come by, though)
