Countries Modernize Grow Capita Gross Domestic Product

¶ … countries modernize grow capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) $8.000 turn democracies, happened Taiwan South Korea. 1) With increased economic production, China a candidate a democratic form government? Why? 2) What impact a "democratic" China U.

Countries that modernize and grow their per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to over $8.000 mostly turn into democracies, as happened in Taiwan and South Korea.

With their increased economic production, would China be a candidate for a democratic form of government? Why?

It has been widely observed that a transition to a market economy, coupled with a thriving GDP is often associated with democratization. However, how this will translate in Chinese terms remains an open question. "China started market economic reforms in 1978 and is rapidly closing its economic gap with the developed world" (He & Feng 2008). But its "communist political system is still lagging far behind the trend of democracy in the world" (He & Feng 2008).

"For a successful and smooth democratic transition China needs to sustain its economic growth. However, wealth cannot lead to democracy by default. Civil society and political culture are introduced as intervening variables" (He & Feng 2008). China lacks a tradition of individual liberties in the model of the West. Although Taiwan and South Korea have transitioned to a more democratic form of government, the Confucian tradition was born in mainland China and is especially strong in its emphasis on the observation of hierarchical obligations and fear of social unrest.

Furthermore, the middle class (traditionally one of the strongest engines of democratization) according to some scholars "lacks the intention and capability to challenge the CCP or because China's middle class is actually the beneficiary of the CCP regime" (He & Feng 2008). "There is a negative correlation between the middle class's dependence on the state and its support for democracy, and (3) the middle class's perceived social and economic well-being is also negatively associated with its democratic support" (Chen & Lu 2011 ). The working class has also lacked sufficient political and social mobilization to resist the regime. There is a deep and profound cynicism about government in general that pervades all of the classes, given the depths of corruption that exist locally as well as nationally, which have also served to stymie efforts at reform (Friedman & Zhou 2011).

Q2. What impact would a "democratic" China have on the U.S.

Of course, a democratic China would have a positive impact in terms of alleviating much of the 'guilt' the U.S. has in its dealings with such a large, powerful, yet fundamentally undemocratic nation. The United States is often placed in the uncomfortable position of pressuring China to reform its ways, while China holds a substantial portion of U.S. debt and has successfully ignored pressures to modernize and democratize from its major democratic trading partners. Many U.S. companies, such as GM, have profited from selling goods to the Chinese as well as engaging in joint ventures with China. Dealing with a democratic China could facilitate such business partnerships but there is no guarantee that democratization would cause a substantial increase in them.