Modern China Final by John Hallinan https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn Made with the help of a typing monkey en-us 2018-05-21 19:33:43 UTC 2018-05-30 20:20:04 UTC hello@padlet.com Sources jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264359526 Sources Cited:

“2018 Index of Economic Freedom.” The Heritage Foundation , 2 Feb. 18AD,   
  www.heritage.org/index/ranking.

Aleem, Zeeshan. “The Looming US-China Trade War, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 3 May       2018, www.vox.com/platform/amp/world/2018/5/3/17270606/china-us--               trade-war-tariffs-trump.

“China.” CEIC DATA, CEIC, 2 Feb. 2018, www.ceicdata.com/en/country/china.

Coleman, Jim, director. Special Economic Zones in China, Do They Work? CNBC, 28 Aug. 2014, www.cnbc.com/video/2014/08/28/special-economic-zones-in-china-do-they-work.html.

Crane, Bret, and Chad Albrecht. “China’s Special Economic Zones: an Analysis of     Policy to Reduce Regional Disparities.” Taylor and Francis Online, Taylor and Francis, 9 Aug. 2017       www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21681376.2018.1430612.


GDP Per Capita in Bejing. 13 June 2017,
www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-06/13/content_29723895.htm.


“Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.”Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, by Xi Jinping , 2018, pp. 1–15.
“Special Economic Zones in China: Do They Work?” CNBC, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2014, www.cnbc.com/video/2014/08/28/special-economic-zones-in-china-do-they-work.html.

Wang, Helen H. “Opinion: Xi Jinping Thought Combines Mao's Totalitarianism And Deng's Crony Capitalism.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 2 Nov. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/helenwang/2017/10/31/xi-jinping-thought-combining-maos-totalitarianism-and-dengs-crony-capitalism/#37d357027dc4.

“Will State Funds for Hong Kong Scientists Spur Innovation or Stifle It?” South China Morning Post, South China Morning Post, 28 May 2018, www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2148024/will-xi-jinpings-promise-chinese-state-support-hong.

“Xi Urges Special Economic Zones to Serve as Window on Reform.” ChinaDaily.com, China Daily, 13 Apr. 2018, www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201804/13/WS5ad0b48aa3105cdcf651835a.html.






]]> 2018-05-29 19:45:52 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264359526 jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264623761 2018-05-30 19:37:30 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264623761 jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264624089 The current effects of this crisis are good for some and bad for others. On the side of the Special Economic Zones, their economic prosperity only continues to grow. Shenzhen has surpassed Singapore in terms of nominal GDP, and will only continue to grow. As the Special Economic Zones grow, they become more and more capitalistic, which is good, as that means general prosperity for the people of the region. However, as the SEZ’s grow, so does the economic divide within China. Economic divide in itself might not be so bad, as the United States has plenty of it. But what makes the Economic divide within China particularly troubling is which economic groups the divide benefits. The ones on top of the economic scene, the wealthy traders and business elites, are gaining more and more influence. However, the ones an on the bottom of the divide are the farmers, the ones who live in poor, rural communities. Naturally, the farmers will want to move out of this economic hierarchy and into a higher class, but this hierarchy is antithetical to what Mao Zedong originally had in mind for communist China. If the farmers do decide to start a new life in an urban supercenter, like the rapidly growing Shenzhen, then there would be no motivation to be a farmer, thus creating a massive food shortage even greater than the one that already exists.  ]]> 2018-05-30 19:49:04 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264624089 jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264624382    The CCP response to this crisis will be to increase the amount of special economic zones in China, eventually making the entire country a capitalist superpower. If China continues its pattern so far, more and more constituencies will become Special Economic Zones. As previously stated, President Xi is a huge supporter of the Special Economic Zones and Special Administrative Regions. His adherence to the growth of them is undeniable, as he has created a new Special Economic Zone and created many “business parks” where free trade can exist in large, restricted cities like Beijing. If this same trend continues, Xi will continue freeing and losing the economic restrictions across China. This could, however, be a solution, but only in the most extreme sense. This would require the total liberation of China’s economy towards a capitalist, or at the bare minimum, a mixed economy, and this would take time.  While this may seem like a considerable stretch, President Xi frequently makes measurable strides towards a more liberated economy (Wong). Despite Referencing “National Rejuvenation” (Secure a Decisive Victory) for China in his address to congress, words mean nothing when compared to Xi actions regarding economic policy. The earliest signs of Xi’s true retaliation against Mao and is economic ideals root from his childhood. As a young child, Xi suffered greatly during the cultural revolution, as his father faced persecution and Xi even enjoyed his fair share of time in a re-education camp (Wang). In words, Xi may honor Mao and say that he wants to rejuvenate China’s economy, but in truth, he is nothing like the first chairman. 
 Furthermore, over time, the special economic zones have shown Xi and his party that a mixed economy can function very well, but along with this, they have created a divide across province lines that the Chinese Communist Party chooses to ignore. One Author describes Shenzhen as “universally held up as one of capitalism’s great success stories” (Xi Urges Special Economic Zones) and credits most of its success to the ex-Chairman Deng and his crony, yet arguably successful capitalism. The most likely action to be taken by President Xi is the following of manu of the same policies that proved successful under Deng. However, like the rest of the party, present, and past, Xi fails to see the negative effects of a mixed economy.

]]> 2018-05-30 19:51:06 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264624382 jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264624809 For centuries, the utilization of free trade has lifted many countries into economic success, raising both the quality of life and money brought into each family, as well as the abundance of products available for consumption by the masses. Countries like the United States, which is less than 300 years old, have gone from zero to hero on the world stage by having a free market economy. Since the Post-Mao era, China’s economic climb and search for the same success that many other countries have claimed in the name of free-market capitalism. Chairman Deng first proposed the idea of certain cities and provinces being free market zones, know as special economic zones. These zones have extremely low taxes, low regulations, and surplus amounts of free trade. In 1997, Hong Kong officially became Chinese territory, and not soon after began its role as a special administrative region, an area where a separate governmental system could take place, while still being under the ultimate control of the People's Republic. Since then, Hong Kong has gone on to become one of the wealthiest metropolitan areas in the world, and, year after year, is ranked as the most economically free area in the world (World Economic Freedom Index). However, these successful specs of capitalism have an unintended consequence, they have created an economic divide of extreme intensity across province lines within China, specifically a scarcity of economic freedom in rural areas. However, the solution to this divide is not to eliminate the SEZ’s, but rather to liberate the country’s entire economic system, essentially making China a Special Economic Zone.

]]> 2018-05-30 19:53:50 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264624809 2 jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264625738  The special treatment of special administrative regions within China has caused a class separation between the mainland and the SAR’s. Hong Kong. A city that many consider to be the poster child of free trade success. Known for its luxurious shopping and towering buildings, Hong Kong is the epitome of luxury. With a GDP per-capita that rivals cities like Singapore and countries like Japan, it’s no wonder why Hong Kong is one of the wealthiest cities in the world. However, despite being part of the People's Republic of  China, Hong Kong tells a very different story. Much of the laws are the same, yielding strict punishments for criminal actions like drug crimes and stealing. Yet, Hong Kong’s GDP per capita is nearly 6 times that of the rest of China (CEIC) at more than 43,000 USD. This disparity is due to the vastly different economic systems between the two, and more importantly, a scarcity of economic freedom in rural areas. The World Economic Freedom Index claims that In Hong Kong, the highest personal tax rate is 17%, while in mainland China the top personal tax rate is 45% (World Economic Index).  This imbalance has created a huge class separation. The rich and wealthy can afford to live in Hong Kong, with all the luxuries of the world, while the poor and impoverished people of mainland China suffer in what many do consider to be slums.
The unequal distribution of trading resources across China has created a huge economic divide within China. Beyond the disparity of wealth based on governance regions, the resources that contribute to much of China’s GDP and wealth are poorly spread out. CIEC statistics show that 7 of the Special Economic Zones within China, being Kashgar, Xiamen, Shantou, Zhuhai, Haining, Shenzhen, and Hainan, account for 60% of exports and 22% of national GDP,  yet makeup just 2.3% of China’s population (CIEC). This explains why the GDP per capita of Shenzhen is a staggering 25,000 USD, while the rural Hunan Province’s GDP per capita is just 6,976USD (CEIC). Regardless of the CCP’s initiative to redistribute any wealth, clearly those in Special Economic Zones benefit tremendously more than those who reside in more communities excluded by the unfair Special Economic Zones. ]]> 2018-05-30 19:58:30 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264625738 jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264626191 This problem has not yet been addressed simply because of the power that the elites in the special economic zones have. For instance, the world's largest company, Apple, produces their iPhones exclusively in Shenzhen. If China wanted to tax these companies in order to provide for the rural areas more than companies like Apple would just get up and leave. In the Special Administrative Regions, namely Hong Kong and Macau, the people are still very much so under foreign influence. Hong Kong was only relinquished by the British in 1991 (Textbook), so much of China could still be adapting to their presence and the CCP could still be figuring out what exactly to do with them. Furthermore, President Xi loves Hong Kong. In fact, President Xi recently pledged to make the city an “international innovation hub” (State Funds For Hong Kong) through the use of state funds. President Xi clearly does not realize the real problem created by Special Economic Zones and Special Administrative Regions, they create more division that is directly opposed to the original ideologies of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party.  ]]> 2018-05-30 20:01:05 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264626191 jhallina https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264626287 On the other hand, the CCP will realize that the country is leaning too far towards the capitalist ways and instead eliminate the SEZ’s entirely. The party has been, as previously stated, taken economic actions that are truly antithetical to the original communist beliefs of equality. For this reason, another logical course that the party might take would be to do a complete 180 and eliminate the special economic zones altogether. This action would coincide with Karl Marx’s communism, which stated that capitalism has created enough production to sustain a communist society, and creating more production is exactly what the special economic zones and the special administrative regions have done, they have enhanced production within China to a level that could sustain a fully communist state. Furthermore, Xi’s support of the looming US-China trade war that could impair the full utilization of Special Economic Zones (Aleem), may represent a dislike for the special zones. However, this solution is not as likely as the CCP continuing their trend of liberating China more and more. This action would be incredibly dull-witted for Xi to suddenly reverse all the work that he has put into the special zones and regions, and would also require him to neglect the success that the zones have contributed for their residents. Although these zones have greatly helped the populations in which they encompass, they have created an economically divided China across province lines. So in reality, Xi only does have two practical choices regarding the handling of special economic zones and special administrative regions: he can either turn the rest of the country into a capitalist powerhouse just like them, or turn the special zones into an economic eyesore like the rest of the country (CEIC). If Xi does truly care about the well being of China, he will take the areas that are currently on the poor side of the economic inequality created by the special economic zones and special administrative regions, namely rural regions like Hunan, as well as some tightly controlled megacities, like Beijing, and turn these zones into free market powerhouses. ]]> 2018-05-30 20:01:45 UTC https://padlet.com/jhallina/4zgh8kfuk9sn/wish/264626287