The Three Reasons Why China Doesn’t Have Democracy

Why Doesn’t China Have Democracy
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Why Doesn’t China Have a Democracy
China has long maintained a path that is different from the ideologies of Western countries. A good example is how the latter appears to glorify democracy while China is working hard to ensure that the elements of democracy never come to life. Today, China is the second largest economy in the world but still maintains its authoritarian rule. The country has managed to maintain its upward economic trajectory without embracing democracy. In a 2017 Communist Party Congress, President Xi was quoted saying, “government, the military, society, and schools, east, west, south, north, and center – the party leads everything.” From this speech, the leadership appears hell-bent on maintaining the status quo. These words were said with gusto and a tinge of finality which further shows the government’s willingness to continue with authoritarianism. In this article, the author seeks to explain why China has steered clear of any and almost all elements of democracy.
First of all, China lacks historical connections with democracy. Wang (2019) notes that “China lacks any history with democracy or true representative government and the rule of law.” He continues to say that the country has only known the rule of dynasties. He says that “even the Republic of China could not be categorized as democratic, as the people had no say in choosing its leadership.” What the above means is that China has not seen or experienced any other rule or leadership. The country has only known the dictatorial or authoritarian rule. Having some roots of democracy could have helped make it easier for the country to transition to democracy. However, democracy has neither been tried nor tested, and the people of China cannot guarantee its success if or when they decide to implement a democratic rule.
The second reason w...