Is China still “communist?

Is China still “communist”?

• Politically, yes.– Communist Party controls the government– Restriction of individual freedoms

Is China still “communist”?

• Economically, kind of.– Government owns or is involved in many

businesses.– But, there is private ownership of businesses and

they trade with other countries.

“It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.”

- Deng Xiaoping, 1962

“To get rich is glorious.”-

Deng Xiaoping, 1984

Has China sacrificed its values for economic gain?

Songs written under the rule of Mao Zedong…

Songs written after the rule of Mao Zedong…

U.S. – China

So why are we “OK” with China being communist?

Top two lenders to the U.S. government:

Top two lenders to the U.S. government:- Japan- China (10% of the U.S. debt)

U.S. debt: approximately $15 trillion China funds 10% of U.S. debt.

Approximately how much has China funded of our debt?

U.S. debt: approximately $15 trillion China funds 10% of U.S. debt.

Approximately how much has China funded of our debt?

$1.5 trillion!

So why doesn’t China just ask us to pay them back?

In 2009, Americans bought $297 billion worth of China’s products.

That’s ¼ of everything China exports!

The U.S. has a trade deficit with China. This means that we buy more goods from China than we sell to China.

Once you look at all of the things we buy from China, our trade deficit is more like $226.8 billion. (Still a lot, but not as bad as $1.5 trillion)