7 - The Chinese Communist Party’s Dilemmas and Solutions

Summary

China, Inc.’s reliance on the low human rights environment domestically and free trade internationally creates a contradiction that is difficult to resolve. The ideas of democracy, human rights, and rule of law that come into China along with trade encourage Chinese people to demand political changes, which the CCP rejects. The CCP’s strategy to suppress domestic demand for democracy is to expand its influence globally. If the international community acquiesces to the way the CCP rules China, it will not only help mute the demand for political changes in China but also facilitate the party-state to achieve dominance in the world. This chapter reviews the strategies and tactics used by the CCP to influence the world, including using bribery and foreign aid, influencing the influencers, waging the great propaganda war, building a broad united front alliance, using the “Russian doll” method, practicing coercive diplomacy, and invoking the “insulting China” tactic to silence criticism.