This is the western cope for what is in practice intelligent economic planning. These "ghost towns" are regularly populated later, it's anticipated and planned growth.

They build incredible bridges in record time, while nearly 20% are closed or collapsed within 10 years

Not really true. China's infrastructure is good, the problem is the urban/rural gap due to how rapidly China is advancing.

They’re nearly as nationalist and xenophobic as most of the worst regimes in history.

Absurdly false. China is a strong internationalist country, and in government ethnic minorities are statistically better represented than Han Chinese, with strong minority protections. China raises multilateral development and cooperative agreements.

But it’s also true they’ve been killing it economically. And performed what was thought impossible over the last 40 years.

This part is definitely true, and as time goes on the cope arguments will also break down. The people who knew this was possible were the communists, both inside and outside of China. Communists are going to be the ones in power this century, and beyond.

[+] Steve@communick.news 0 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

It’s hard to call China communist any more. They’ve embraced the strengths of communism and capitalism, even maybe socialism. Using aspects of each where they’re most effective.

I think you're misunderstanding capitalism, socialism, and communism. China is and has been under communist leadership since 1949, yet not once has their mode of production been "communist." Communism is the goal of communist parties, itself a future, global economy where all production and distribution has finally been collectivized, and is run along a common plan to fulfill everyone's needs. Between capitalism and this future state of being is socialism.

Rewinding backwards, capitalism emerged out of feudalism, and is a mode of production and distribution where private ownership is the principal aspect of the economy, and capitalists own the state. It is not an aspect of a system, but a system itself. Capitalism is really good at socializing production, bringing everyone together into one unified system, but as this goes on the contradiction between socialized production and privatized profits grows greater and greater. This results in revolutionary pressure.

Socialism, then, is a mode of production and distribution where public ownership is the principal aspect of the economy, and the working classes control the state. China has been socialist since 1949. China did not abandon socialism with the adoption of Reform and Opening Up under Deng Xiaoping, it opened up secondary and underdeveloped industry to foreign investment, while retaining public ownership of the large firms and key industries and working class control of the state. It borrowed the ability of markets to accelerate socialization for the least socialized aspects of the economy, while socializing the social surplus, rather than privatizing it.

This is all in the service of building communism, which has been laid out in a simple diagram by Cheng Enfu:

I hope that highly oversimplified synopsis can help explain how this is entirely within communist theory.

But that long term vision causes them to overlook and dismiss real short term pain and problems. Refusing to publicly acknowledge and correct their mistakes, will eventually be the weakness that brings them down in 50-150 years.

I don't believe this is accurate. China is a developing country, in developing rapidly there definitely arose new contradictions. There's now a larger capitalist class, a steeper urban/rural divide, and other problems. However, the CPC is not blind to them. State control over capital is increased as industries develop, the "birdcage" is tightened and capital's freedom to move is strictly controlled and ever-shrinking. Rural development has been a major focus, to bring the living standards in rural areas closer to that of urban living. This is all being done intelligently, in planned fashion.

There is no such thing as a society devoid of problems. What makes China (and socialist countries in general) special is the ability for humanity to take an active role in shaping the future, scientifically, without capital dominating us.

[–] gary_host_laptop@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

you had to do one search to find most of what you've said is false

Underoccupied developments in China are mostly unoccupied newly built property developments in China, and frequently referred to as "ghost cities" or ghost towns. The phenomenon was claimed and recorded as early as 2009 by Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan and subsequently reported by news media over the decades.[1][2][3][4] Although a feature of discourse on the Chinese economy and urbanization in China in the 2010s, many developments that were initially criticized as "ghost cities" in China have since become occupied and are now functioning cities.[5][6][7][8]

China's government has set a goal to raise the nation's urbanization rate to around 75% by 2035, which may require the construction of an estimated 40 to 50 million new housing units to accommodate this shift.[9] Some observers argue that China's so-called "ghost cities" are better understood as ambitious urbanization projects built ahead of demand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underoccupied_developments_in_China

they don't have "ghost cities" they have something called planned economy. in a planned economy the state plans to improve the lives of the proletariat. so essentially they are creating house for people to live instead of them being used for upping some numbers on a spreadsheet.

[–] Smackyroon@lemmy.ml 5 points 7 hours ago

Ahhh a .world zionazi

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Ahhh the French champagne…

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 4 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

It is true though, China has lifted 800 million out of poverty.

[–] KimBongUn420@lemmy.ml 3 points 7 hours ago

Ahhh another propagandized one...