How a former GDR leader views socialism in China
CHINA, wie ich es sehe (Chinese version)
Egon Krenz was the last communist leader of the German Democratic Republic (1949–89) during the final months of 1989. His new book, CHINA wie ich es sehe, originally published in Germany in early 2018, has attracted the attention of Chinese publishers and been translated into Chinese. In this book, Krenz mentions the changes he saw in China and his thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics and on world socialism’s past, reality and destiny.
Krenz believes that socialism with Chinese characteristics powerfully refutes the statement of socialism’s failure emerging after the Revolution of 1989. After the upheaval in Eastern Europe, it was asserted that Marxism had already died and capitalism had won in the world. However, China conveys another message to the world: the failure of the Soviet Union was not the failure of socialism, and socialist China is rising.
He argues that the Arab Spring will never happen in China, a country with a constant clear stance and political stability. The attempt of the United States and its allies to subvert the regime has no chance. China, with its valuable experience, is an encouraging factor for the development of world socialism.
Krenz speaks highly of China’s contribution to the peace and development of today’s world. The concept of “community with a shared future for mankind” proposed by President Xi Jinping is of great significance in a world full of wars and turmoil. At the same time, the Belt and Road initiative will affect the contrast of powers in the world, between China and the United States in particular. However, it is unprecedented that this will happen without the use of military alliances. The Chinese government has consistently adhered to the non-alignment policy and its Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
Krenz points out that in 2016, there were 226 instances of armed conflict recorded in the world. The United States started 8 wars during Obama’s presidency alone. Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen, and Germany also participated in several wars. In contrast, China has not waged war in any part of the world. This is of great significance in today’s unstable international environment.
Krenz argues that Western media, including German media, often reports biased and one-sided information about China. From the perspective of epistemology, Krenz discusses how Euro-centrism and anti-communist thinking are the root causes of the Western media’s political bias in relation to China. He borrows the words of Helmut Kohl (1930–2017), a former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. “Western people are accustomed to viewing China from German or European perspectives, instead of from the perspectives of China’s own history, local lifestyles and customs.”
edited by YANG LANLAN