Is China still officially communist?

At least in name.

There is state control of a great many things such as the media so they are not quite engaging in a full on market driven capitalist system either.

There is idea held by some that if a Mao rose from the dead he would have the current leadership lined up and shot. That might be true depending on which era the zombie Mao was really from. 1920's era Mao might try to work with them. Late in life Mao might tolerate them. 1960's Mao would have them killed.
 
Eh. Not really, IMO. It seems like they're keeping the symbolism and pageantry, but capitalism's kinda going ape**** to the point where even Fox News says nice things about China.

It's still an autocratic regime with a lot of government involvement in the economy, but capital-C communist? Meh.
 
Yes, it is officially communist. It is the People's Republic after all and the Communist Party is in charge. "Communism" is the name given to whatever seems to work at the time.
 
A couple of years ago, some union leaders and a Democrat or two, went to China and "investigated", returning home to declare, "See? Communism and central planning work!"
 
Are we talking about the overwhelmingly capitalist country that has done unabashedly capitalist things like building entire fake cities on government orders?
 
Yes they still maintain the charade that "socialism with Chinese characteristics" isn't just essentially a capitalist mixed-economy and that in the end they are really trying to build communism.

In a sense it's comparable to the New Economic PolicyWP in the early soviet union except it wasn't abandoned in favor of heavy handed state control, mainly because China already tried that to lackluster results.
 
Beerina said:
A couple of years ago, some union leaders and a Democrat or two, went to China and "investigated", returning home to declare, "See? Communism and central planning work!"
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Do you have any source for this? Names of who went at least?
 
Beerina said:
A couple of years ago, some union leaders and a Democrat or two, went to China and "investigated", returning home to declare, "See? Communism and central planning work!"
Click to expand...

I'm sure that is an entirely accurate and unbiased recollection.
 
I remember when the USSR collapsed -- a guy rented a corner in the rear of an official government music store and sold imported CDs, outselling the government store 10 to 1.

Economic freedom allows motivated people to adapt. It doesn't matter what stupidities the government gets itself into -- as long as people are free from their yoke, they will make a better life for themselves.

Of course then you have the twin terrors of both mafia and government officials demanding kickbacks to get out of the way, if not outright jailing or stealing your business for themselves and their cronies.
 
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Beerina said:
I remember when the USSR collapsed -- a guy rented a corner in the rear of an official government music store and sold imported CDs, outselling the government store 10 to 1.

Economic freedom allows motivated people to adapt. It doesn't matter what stupidities the government gets itself into -- as long as people are free from their yoke, they will make a better life for themselves.

Of course then you have the twin terrors of both mafia and government officials demanding kickbacks to get out of the way, if not outright jailing or stealing your business for themselves and their cronies.
Click to expand...

Could you attempt to answer my questions above?
 
Beerina said:
A couple of years ago, some union leaders and a Democrat or two, went to China and "investigated", returning home to declare, "See? Communism and central planning work!"
Click to expand...

Union leaders singing the praises of China with worker conditions being what they are? Somehow I doubt it.
 
Beerina said:
A couple of years ago, some union leaders and a Democrat or two, went to China and "investigated", returning home to declare, "See? Communism and central planning work!"
Click to expand...

Non-goatse source for this anecdote please.
 
Beerina said:
I remember when the USSR collapsed -- a guy rented a corner in the rear of an official government music store and sold imported CDs, outselling the government store 10 to 1.
Click to expand...
There was rather more to it than that. The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia by David Hoffman http://www.amazon.co.uk/books/dp/1586482025 is an interesting treatment of the subject.

Economic freedom allows motivated people to adapt. It doesn't matter what stupidities the government gets itself into -- as long as people are free from their yoke, they will make a better life for themselves.
Click to expand...
In London, close to their bank accounts.

Of course then you have the twin terrors of both mafia and government officials demanding kickbacks to get out of the way, if not outright jailing or stealing your business for themselves and their cronies.
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Like the Russians propping-up the London property market. Mafiosi with political connections (past and/or present).

The dissimilarites between the post-Soviet and Chinese experiences of capitalism are greater than the similarities. For instance, in the former fortunes were made by selling imported goods and shipping the profits overseas; in the latter they've been made by manufacturing, exporting and re-investment.

Political connections remain important in both, of course. What could be more capitalist than that?
 
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