Scientific Development Concept

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Central government
People's Republic of China
Image:National Emblem of the People's Republic of China.png This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the People's Republic of China

Constitution Past constitutions: 1954 1975 1978
Guiding Political Ideologies Mao Zedong: Mao Zedong Thought Deng Xiaoping: Deng Xiaoping Theory Jiang Zemin: Three Represents Hu Jintao: Scientific Development Concept
President: Hu Jintao National People's Congress NPC Standing Committee
Premier: Wen Jiabao State Council People's Liberation Army Central Military Commission
Law of the PRC Supreme People's Court Supreme People's Procuratorate
Communist Party of China Constitution General Secretary National Congress Central Committee Secretariat Politburo Politburo Standing Committee CPPCC Minor Political Parties
Elections (2008) Political divisions Human rights Foreign relations Foreign aid
See also Politics of Hong Kong Politics of Macau Politics of the Republic of China
Other countries · Atlas Politics Portal view • talk • edit

The Scientific Development Concept (traditional Chinese: 科學發展觀; simplified Chinese: 科学发展观, Pinyin: Kēxué Fāzhǎn Guān) is the current official guiding socio-economic ideology of the Communist Party of China. It is lauded by the Chinese government as the successor ideology to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Three Represents. Credit to the theory is given to Hu Jintao and his administration, who took power in 2002. It is the newest brand added to the idea of Socialism with Chinese characteristics ratified into the Communist Party of China's constitution at the 17th Party Congress in October 2007. The ideology is dominated by egalitarian concepts involving sustainable development, social welfare, a person-based society, increased democracy, and the creation of a Harmonious Society.

[edit] Background

Before former President Jiang Zemin left office, the ideological contribution of the "third generation of leadership" was entrenched in the Party and State constitutions in 2002 under the name Three Represents. This seemingly novel ideology was in reality a more capitalist deviation to Deng Xiaoping's original Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and served more as official rhetoric than in practical usage. After his departure from an official role Jiang continued to wield significant influence in the country's affairs. Due to popular pressure and increased inner party struggles, Jiang was forced to give up the power that remained through a gradual process lasting from 2003 to 2005. In 2005 it was speculated that the new leader, Hu Jintao, had gained firm control of the state, party, and military. In a high-profile meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guest House on the eve of the NPC in March 2005, Hu and his high-ranking colleagues aimed to seize the opportunity to redirect that Party's guiding philosophy, attempting to thrash out an approach to the country’s increasingly serious social problems and general instability. The conclusion was the need for a new ideological campaign to shift the focus of the official agenda from "economic growth" to "social harmony".

President Hu Jintao launched the campaign with a speech to the NPC calling for the building of "a harmonious society". He summed up his conception as the development of "democracy, the rule of law, justice, sincerity, amity and vitality" as well as a better relationship between the people and the government and "between man and nature".

Behind these high-sounding ideas are a corresponding list of social problems: the lack of democratic rights, endemic official corruption, a huge and growing gulf between rich and poor, widening disparities between rural and urban areas as well as chronic unemployment, an appalling record of industrial disasters and severe pollution.

In his speech, Premier Wen Jiabao promised to spend 10.9 billion yuan ($US1.3 billion) on the "re-employment" of millions of laid-off workers and another 3 billion yuan to improve industrial safety, especially in the country’s coal mines. He pledged to abolish central government’s agricultural tax on 730 million farmers and provide education subsidies for poor rural children.

Wen specifically referred to the 140 million rural migrant workers who form the backbone of China’s cheap labour force. “A mechanism will be promptly set up to ensure migrant workers in cities get paid on time and in full, and the work of getting their back wages paid to them will be continued,” he said. Official estimates put the backlog of unpaid wages as high as $US12 billion.

[edit] Application

The actual application of the Concept has received mixed results. The central government faces significant opposition from regional governments and from the so-called 'Shanghai Clique' from within the Politburo Standing Committee who wish to place greater emphasis on the path of economic growth (as opposed to the Concept's more tempered approach with a view to the social costs of development). While factionalism tends to be exaggerated in Chinese politics, the Concept plays an important role in outlining the divergent philosophies and developmental visions for China that are at play within the highest echelons of the PSC.