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Today China is a great nation run by an authoritarian system modeled on a 20th-century

Marxist-Leninist dictatorship (Kim, 2018). China has been enriched by prodigious growth of its

economy and key military modernization has emboldened it. Countries surrounding it have

enabled the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by engaging and welcoming business with,

Beijing. China’s political prevailing features during this decade have not only been the rise of Xi

Jinping, but also the return of repressive autocracy and an inconclusive effort to remodel the

country’s economic model. The middle class in China has grown immensely but the CCP has not

found a political model to accommodate this new, educated urban motivation by the majority to

have more participation in the government’s decision-making. The main tendencies in the

Chinese national security state of affairs today are driven more by China’s desire for global

governance, deteriorating relationships with many of its neighbors, reinforcing China-Russia

ties, and intensifying conflict with the US. This has resulted in a less peaceful global

environment for China unlike before.

China’s foreign views have also changed in ways that are unfavorable to Beijing. The

CCP does not have its former repute for superhuman competency in handling economic affairs.

The Chinese political system is becoming less attractive than in the past, with substantial

consequences for its ultimate incorporation of the Chinese commonwealth outlying parts, such as

Taiwan and Hong Kong. There is the worry that China could undergo political disorder and

economic downfall that could threaten the whole of Eurasia. There is fear that China may use its

rising military and economic supremacy to make its neighbors accept it.

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Our Ideologies and their Suitability for 1905-06’s China

Our ideologies for China between 1905 and 1906 are democracy the protection of civil

rights. This type of democracy would be different from the United States’ or western definitions

and would have to be aligned to China’s identity and outlook. In a democracy, the citizens elect

leaders. Democracy advocates for power to be checked and balanced and guarantees human

rights. These aforementioned elements constitute democracy. An institutional expression of

democratic principles that will be politically viable and pleasant to China would be essential.

Democracy has been associated with economic, military, and industrial advancements (Cezarino

et al., 2019). Democratization and industrialization would, therefore, be imperative for a

competitive China through the following ways.

Universal humanity and individuality. Scholars have argued that democracy and

Christianity are correlated and perhaps according to some Chinese perceptions, liberal

democracy is founded in Christianity. Consequently, the majority of today’s forms constitute

philosophical fragments of those probable backgrounds. An example of such traces of

Christianity is demonstrated in the individual’s empowerment. According to the Christianity

doctrine, every individual is sacred before God’s eyes.

The ideology of liberal democracy is founded on the logic that an individual has intrinsic

worth despite his social standing and is contrary to the beliefs of the Chinese culture. An

individual’s philosophical relevance is mostly recognized as an area of irreconcilability between

Chines culture and democracy. Confucian societies are founded on familial relations hence an

individual is prohibited from rebelling against these ties of society. If a person is no longer

connected to the family, they are regarded as an outcast and downgraded to the lowest position in

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the social ladder. Thus, the rights of the individual cannot be the same as in the Western countries

hence the need for democracy.

Our Groups’ Position and the Position of Our Rivals.

Our group has proposed democracy and the protection of human rights. We understand

that most of our rivals may be opposed to these ideologies for various reasons that will be

discussed below. Several scholars in the past have been opposed to the idea of democracy

arguing that there is no place for westernization and democracy in traditional Chinese culture.

They argued that democracy and Chinese culture were not compatible, leaving China to choose

between wholesale Westernization and complete rejection of Westernization. Many of you may

be opposed to this idea too because of the following reasons.

Disruption of social harmony. The ancient Chinese beliefs seek to safeguard social

harmony and do not welcome any attempts to disturb this tranquility (Li, 2017). Democracy calls

for elections that directly oppose this ideal. When politicians are campaigning, their discussions

major on issues that are extremely charged both politically and emotionally. For example, in

contemporary United States elections, controversial issues such as homosexuality and abortion

are at the center of campaigns. For the Chinese Confucian these issues are cleavages within the

fabric of social harmony. Politicians from the West take advantage of these controversial issues

to lobby for support from citizens. According to Chinese culture, exploiting these controversial

issues to accomplish the personal goal of winning an election is wrong and immoral. As a result,

the majority of the more traditionalist Chinese people consider the election process of the West

and westernized countries as flawed and immoral according to Chinese culture.

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Democracy would not serve the common good rather the majority. Another key driver of

traditional Chinese culture is its appeal for the common good. On the other hand, liberal

democracy is centered on each voter’s self-interest. The voters are usually want to elect

representatives who benefit them and promote their interests. The elected officials advocate for

the interests of the constituents they represent and will not be re-elected if they do not

sufficiently represent the interests of those who elected them to their positions. As a result,

people who hold the traditionalist Chinese viewpoint are likely for the view that the common

good of the people is not well represented in a democracy since it represents the majority.

Another reason for opposing democracy would be related to the importance of the family in

Chinese society. The family is regarded as China's social structure hence the individuals’ concern

for the family is greater than their concern for politics. Hence, many traditionalist Chinese

perspectives stress the importance of strong authoritarian governance to avoid the disintegration

of the Chinese society. Therefore, many would consider democracy too weak for Chinese

society.

3) Proposal for a Confucian society

Based on our discussion above it is clear that there is a need for a government system that

is aligned to traditional Chinese beliefs. The majority of the people do not consider liberal

democracy suitable for China because of its traditions of Confucianism and legalism. There is a

need to address these issues to come up with a system of governance that is suitable for China.

This can be achieved through blending democratic features such as governmental responsiveness

to the people’s will with traditional Chinese values such as social harmony.

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This consultative rule of law surpasses individual interest groups and while at the same

time promoting the collective good. This system would also directly address China's most

crippling shortcomings. Moreover, the democratic model of China would not be the same as that

of Europe and the US given the difference in China’s economy, history, society, culture, tradition,

and national conditions (Mang, 2018). These countries’ model of democracy cannot just be

copied and used in China. However, China cannot be accused of lacking a democratic

environment merely because China's democratic practices are different from those of Europe, the

US, and other countries. The idea is to integrate democracy into traditional Chinese culture.

China’s culture, society, and economy are bound to keep on changing, and as a result,

China will definitely keep on advancing, maturing, and perfecting its democratic mode and

practice steadily and gradually. China’s pursuit is that of steady and sustainable development.

The democratic system will seek to achieve the long-term welfare of Chinese citizens. All efforts

will be dedicated to doing what is appropriate to maximize and sustain the wellbeing and interest

of all her people ensuring that this democracy will yield more benefits to the nation.

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References

Borthwick, S. (1983). Education and Social Change in China. California: Stanford University,

6-7.

Cezarino, L. O., Liboni, L. B., Stefanelli, N. O., Oliveira, B. G., &Stocco, L. C. (2019). Diving

into emerging economies bottleneck: Industry 4.0 and implications for circular

economy. Management Decision.

Keller, W., &Shiue, C. H. (2020). China's Foreign Trade and Investment, 1800-1950. NBER

Working Paper, (27558).

Kim, S. S. (2018). China and the world: Chinese foreign policy faces the new millennium.

Routledge.

Li, C. (2017). Community without harmony? A Confucian critique of Michael

Sandel. Encountering China: Michael Sandel and Chinese Philosophy, 3-18.

Mang, F. (2018). Confucianism, Perfectionism, and Liberal Society. Dao, 17(1), 29-49.

Mei, J. (2017). New Historiography for the cultivation of the character of the “new citizen”:

Liang Qichao’s ideas of history education and their practice. Chinese Studies in

History, 50(2), 76-88.