Posted on 11/08/2007 4:43:17 AM PST by hildy123
There were almost no media reports on it, but China's 17th Communist Party Congress (CPC) adopted a new amended Constitution on October 21, 2007. Should you care about this? Perhaps. It was at the 11th Congress of China's Communist Party Congress, held in 1979, where China adopted free enterprise. That led to a massive expansion of China's economy while we in America enjoyed inexpensive Chinese products that improved our standard of living immensely.
The just completed Communist Party Congress addressed social and political development which they called "the Scientific Outlook on Development." As I researched what that actually meant in practical terms, this new China Communist Party Constitution reminds me a great deal of the four principles that George Washington set forth in the 1790s in his last years as President of the United States. I mention the principles Washington talked about in his 5th State of the Union Address and his Farewell Address in Chapter 28 of my book A Hunger for Liberty Leads to the Declaration of Independence which was published in Beijing last year. It is available in China's largest bookstores, which I can't say is the case for the English edition in the USA.
The four principles George Washington believed were necessary for a strong and free nation are:
1. A strong, well armed, supplied and trained military. Both China and the USA have that.
2. Unity among the people without factional, ethnic and religious hostility. While we seem to losing our historic unity these days, the USA has had only one civil war in its more than 200 years. The ability to live together without constant armed conflict is a major factor in our success as a nation. Unity is a key goal in China's new Constitution. The 20th Century wars when both European and Japanese imperialism devastated China and the adoption of Marxism, which is founded a theory of conflict between the haves and the have-nots were very destructive. Millions of Chinese people died.
The conflict theory was addressed in Chinese communism in 2002 at the Party's 16th Congress by adopting Jiang Zemin's Three Represents." The Three Represents, which were further strengthened in the new Constitution legitimized the inclusion of capitalists and private entrepreneurs within the Communist Party.
3. A strong and free economy. In George Washington's time that concept largely involved the relationships among the factions in the USA — Northern States versus Southern States, Eastern culture versus the Western States culture. Those differences, in the late 1700s, were similar to differences we think are so impossible to solve among the various continents today.
The United States has had, in the past, a strong and a free economy and in spite of a lot of creeping socialism, we still have enough freedom to be able to create and invent. As we have adopted more socialism, China has adopted more capitalism. We are now China's best customer. China's 1.3 billion people now produces goods at a price that make them available to even the poorest among us.
China's new Constitution describes that as an effort to " balance urban and rural development, development among regions, economic and social development, relations between man and nature, and domestic development and opening to the outside world, adjust the economic structure, and transform the pattern of economic development." It foresees "a new path of industrialization with Chinese characteristics, and making China an innovative country and a resource-conserving, environment-friendly society."
4. A Virtuous and Moral People — "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports," Washington observed. "It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends more or less to every species of free government." This is a value that my Beijing publisher, Li Shingbing, and I have discussed by e-mail. It concerns him that moral values, once based on the teachings of Confucius, are no longer known or practiced by the many Chinese youth who have adopted the worst of the American culture.
China's new Constitution calls for the Party to "respect and safeguard human rights, encourage the free airing of views and works to establish sound systems and procedures of democratic election, decision-making, administration and oversight," and uphold "the system of self-governance at the primary level of society." For the first time China's Communist Party Constitution requires that the Party "strive to fully implement its basic principle for work related to religious affairs, and rally religious believers in making contributions to economic and social development" as well as calling for personal self-government.
The New Constitution adopted by the China Communist Party on October 21st so closely mirrors the thinking of George Washington, that we ought to be celebrating with the Chinese. Yet, this momentous event has been almost totally ignored by the media of the world.
While the Chinese still call themselves "Communists" in spite of new freedoms, and we Americans still call ourselves "Free" in spite of a lot of socialism, these days we have a whole lot more in common, words aside, than probably either side realizes. We can, and should be, friends. We have a lot in common.
Perhaps the time has come when we in America should begin to have more interest in China and reach out to the Chinese people who make so much of the stuff we have in our homes these days. We might be able to share with them more of what is good about our nation, instead of just allowing Hollywood and others to send them the worst our culture has to offer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mary Mostert is a nationally-respected political writer. She was one of the first female political commentators to be published in a major metropolitan newspaper in the 1960s. After working in President Lyndon Johnson's failed War on Poverty programs in New York state, she became a Republican. She ran, unsuccessfully, for the New York State Senate and became campaign manager for a number of candidates. She once served as the secretary of "Positive Action NOW!"--a South African women's group that sought to reduce the hostility among South Africa's various racial, religious, and political groups.
In recent years, Mary has researched, written, and edited articles for national talk show host Michael Reagan's Information Interchange on the Internet, and for The REAGAN MONITOR, a monthly newsletter that provides in-depth information on key issues. Her book, COMING HOME - Families Can Stop the Unraveling of America," was published in 1996 by Gold Leaf Press. Mary maintains a political media site, Banner of Liberty. She can be contacted at mary@bannerofliberty.com. Click here for more information.
Thanks for the post. Didn’t know about the Oct 2007 Chinese Constitution declarations. Eventually, the Chinese people will be enabled to experience polticial and religious freedom again.....just like in the old Soviet Union...their sufferings under communism are there to teach us the evil of such systems. And to help us desire and work to avoid these evils coming upon us in this country. Yes, we are so much closer to socialism outright and are actually in slavery now - economic slavery - because of our wayward, leftward, government at city, state, and federal levels. May we learn from the sufferings that the Chinese people have endured.....as they have learned from the freedoms we have enjoyed in this country.
It doesn’t matter what they write in their “constitution”. The same 20 totalitarian prcks are going to continue ruling the country with absolute power, and everyone else will tremble, kowtow and obey.
I think I’ll wait and see how it works out.
It’s not clear to me how mandatory sterilization of women fits into this framework.
We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no
I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?
There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
Interesting, the Red Chinese Commies are true Patriots...just like the US Dept of State.
As the new Joe McCarthy book addresses the role of Alger Hiss and the State dept in facilitating the Commie take over of China after WW11...
Line it up next to our Constitution. Let's see what limits are placed on government, what rights are retained by the people.
Interesting article, nonetheless. Thanks for posting.
Are you talking about the USA or the Chicoms? Our own politco's don't seem to pay much attention to our own Constitution, unless, of course, it suits their needs......
We seem to be slowly falling into the trap of the philosophies that they are slowly abandoning.
The Chinese people are gaining more freedoms, and there are increasingly more people in China that share our values.
That means that if they continue to progress our national interests may very well start to align more and class less.
However, at the same time, if we continue to slide towards socialism, at some point, they are likely to surpass us economically and militarily. I wonder if we will wake up to where our country is headed before then?
Yeah, they could have ours. It’s not like we’re using it.
ping
Well, at least I've not heard of someone here being tossed in the pokey for looking up news on Yahoo. When the Chicoms start releasing people imprisoned for believing in Falun Gong, and stop sending toxic poison to the free world, then maybe I'll give a rip about their constitution.
We can all hope that day comes.
“Eventually, the Chinese people will be enabled to experience polticial and religious freedom again.....just like in the old Soviet Union...their sufferings under communism are there to teach us the evil of such systems.”
I guess that’s why the Bible is banned in the olympic village/sarc.
“The individual is only free to agree with the policies of Marxism/Leninism... not to disagree with them.”
Human rights, Chinese Communist style.
From a State Supreme Court of China opinion against a dissident who attempted to use the Chinese Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech and expression as a defense against charges of anti-government protest.
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