The data is coming from the world’s largest democracy perception study, published by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation (a Danish-based non-profit organisation).
The data is coming from the world’s largest democracy perception study, published by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation (a Danish-based non-profit organisation).
This should be improved with adding more countries, like Russia, then comparing with other important data, like freedom of expression, to be somehow relevant to any discussion
Freedom of expression only matters when it translates into real-world action. Otherwise, it’s just a jester’s privilege, the freedom to scream into the void. In China, people enjoy genuine freedom to advance their material interests, reflected in their consistently rising standard of living and an economy that serves the majority. Meanwhile, the West claims abstract ‘freedoms’ while living standards crumble and working people are stripped of political power.
In my country I could live without working and still be in pretty good health conditions after years, if I would like to.
Is that possible in China?
Because my country is the average “western” country and I consider it still pretty far from a democratic utopia.
The average “western” country depends on the spoils of Imperialism to subsidize costs, ie social safety nets and lower prices of commodities through expropriating vast amounts of wealth from the Global South. China doesn’t do that, its own development and safety nets come from their own labor and production. Very different circumstances.
Hm… Yes, the famous Polish Colonies spanning half the India, some of Africa and Kamchatka.
China for the past 20 years has been mining Africa like crazy. I don’t see that wealth staying with African people, but moving to China and giving it monetary and political power.
Poland isn’t the “average Western country,” but it does depend on the same system of super exploitation of the Global South.
China is not imperializing Africa. China needs a lot of raw materials found in African countries, but it doesn’t keep African countries dependent on China nor does China enforce economic control on African countries. Both sides benefit. See here, China does not meet the definition of Imperialism.
I’m from Poland.
The source you quoted says that USSR wasn’t imperialistic.
Polish economy during occupation by USSR was drained, we were forced to send goods to the Mother Russia like crazy, without compensation. We had local shortages, so that Moska could benefit. If that’s not imperialistic exploitation to you, we have nothing to talk about, because you’re crazy.
The USSR was not Imperialist, see again:
Users like @PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml can offer more insight on Poland as it related to the USSR, but to claim that the USSR was Imperialist is wrong. Calling me “crazy” for having consistency is just a way to avoid the original subject, which was your claim that the PRC is Imperializing Africa, which is also wrong. Now that you were caught out, you pivot to another direction hoping you can coast by on being Polish, when I’ve spoken to other Polish users and done study on my own that leads me to disagree with you.
If the argument you’re making is that Poland wasn’t exploited by USSR, because USSR wasn’t exporting capital, but goods, then that’s a strawman at best. Export of goods by the prices dictated by USSR (at 10% of value at the time), in amounts dictated by USSR, isn’t an
export of capital? Imperialistic country is a country that has colonies. Colony is a territory exploited by the “owning” country. Trying to make distinctions in that paradigm is pointless at best, malicious at worst.I pivoted the discussion to Poland (PRL) because the source you quoted blatantly LIED about it. If it’s blatantly lying about USSR, why would I trust anything else whitewashing other countries?
In 1956, when First Secretary of the Polish United Workers’ Party Gomułka was summoned to Moscow, he made some secret notes (that are now public) counting what infrastructure did Moscow stole (as in - took apart, moved to USSR) from Poland (by 1956!):
Source - Rolicki “Gierek”, pages 110-120 summarize Gomułka notes (Rolicki is a very pro-PRL historian).
Lol that must be true for some country somewhere, but China is not it, no matter how much even I would like it to be true.
It is true, though. The PRC’s economy is extrenely industrialized and focused on exporting commodities, western countries use financial domination and strategic underdevelopment of the Global South to get cheap commodities. The West doesn’t produce as much as it takes, China produces for itself and sells the excess to others.
In my country we produce for ourselves and sell the excess too… Still not even close to a socialist utopia though…
Every country exports and imports, that’s not what I’m talking about. Private monopoly Capital in western countries extends and carves out the value created in the Global South. The PRC is far more industrialized than any Western Country, it doesn’t engage in Imperialism. Here’s a good article on Imperialism.
Further, nobody said China was a Utopia. It’s a developing Socialist country, Socialism isn’t some holy status that makes all who live in it live magical lives, it’s a mode of production. China has a long way to go, but Socialism is why it has had the success it has so far.
I see, well, that means I must be already living in some kind of socialist utopia then. That’s nice!
Which other countries does China exploit?
Are you serious? China is an imperialist country like most others that are that big.
Tell me who they’ve exploited. Go on.
Africa.
China is mining Africa. They lend money to local governments, make them build infrastructure to mine natural resources, and then let the countries spiral into never ending debt.
One could argue that it’s money used to invest in local production, but the real cash is making stuff from raw resources (In China). Also the fact it’s China lending the money and taking mineral rights and infrastructure as collateral is, well, colonialism.
Examples: Kenya, Zambia.
Open a web browser, go to your preferred search engine and start documenting youself.
Is Brazil imperialist? Is India imperialist? They are “that big”, no?
Brazil, yes. India, I’m not informed but my bet would be obviously yes, no way such a country hasn’t developed imperialist practices.
If you’re not working to support your life, then someone else is.
Yes?
You couldn’t choose not to work in China, it’s still a pretty poor country and the majority need to work to live.
Those who can’t work are mostly well-supported by a combination of family support networks - far more highly valued in China than in the west - and government welfare systems. It’s part of the reason homeless people are so rare there for example.
And that doesn’t sound too me like a big different situation fron what we have, let alone a better one. Then how is the perception of what’s going on that different?
They’ve seen their own lives improve materially due to the actions of the state. They’ve seen the government respond to the wishes of the public.
I don’t really understand what point you’re trying to make.
My point is that our lives here have improved too, but still the sentiment isn’t that positive, rightfully so.
Also China isn’t a third world country, it’s a pretty big player in the global scale and yet the condition of his population are on par or lower than what you can find in the “west”.