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"Our Party and government long ago reached a clear conclusion about the events in China of the late 1980s, the political disturbances then and all related issues... Facts prove that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we have traveled accords with China's national condition, and the basic interests of the majority of the people, and reflects the wishes of the people."
— Ma Zhaoxu, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Ma was commenting on the CCP's reaction to the recently published journal of former General Secretary of the Party Zhao Ziyang, who had denounced the government's reaction to Tiananmen Square 20 years ago.
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It is a bizarre fact of the communist Chinese psyche that all ends can always justify all means. Or rather, everything and nothing can be used to justify any means, as rule by fiat does not require any external rationale. That said, it does not follow that China was economically successful because of these policies. Rather, it's more likely that China has been successful in spite of them.
Of course, the goal of Ma's disingenuous argument is to set all discord of the late 1980's and actions taken to quell it against China's recent economic development.
The meaning of Ma's statement runs something like this: You like economic development, don't you?!?! The policy decisions of the late 1980's have been essential to China's "success," and therefore, if you approve of China's economic development, then you cannot disagree with these policies.
Quelling the Tiananmen protests was the best thing that happened to China in the last 200 years. The great Deng saw that and approved the crackdown. Of course, today, they are better equipped with proper riot police and tear gas. If China had adopted democrazy in 1989, China will be worse off than the cesspool that is today's India. Hail to Benign Authoritarianism, the only ideology that can truly bring real progress and lead a transition to Democracy, like in Hong Kong (British iron fisted rule), Taiwan (KMT), Korea (Park Chun Hee), Singapore (still a benign authoritarian state). The Benign Authoritarian model is the best for a developing country.
Speaking of Hong Kong, this event triggered a mass exodus when it was broadcasted on local TV. I wonder why... "Benign" my rear. The HKers saw what was coming.
There's a great article in the New York Times this week, part of which responds to the argument that BBC1 and Eastman often make on this website (the notion that the crackdown was necessary in order to remove obstacles to China's economic growth and raise the living standards here). They interview a man named Liu Suli, who put it this way:
“You can raise pigs to be very strong and very fat,” he said. “But a pig is still a pig. And a pig has no rights.”
Full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/world/asia/04protester.html?ref=world
You don't put much trust in your own people, do you? Unless you consider yourself more British than Chinese, or is it Chinese with British characteristics.
BBC1: That does a great job explaining the North Korean economic miracle! Benign Authoritianism!
The basis for Chinese economic strength is that there's a large supply of people willing to work in unsafe factories for slave-labor wages, because the economy's fucked and that's all they can get. China's ranked 100th in GDP/capita, behind such economic stalwarts as Albania, Suriname, and Cuba. If 60 years of Benign authoritarianism can't do better than that, and additionally produces constant social upheavals, it's clearly not working.