China Impressions 2025 – Part II: Merit, Markets, and Political Imagination

Governing Systems: Time to Rethink Assumptions

Western democracies operate on the assumption that universal suffrage and electoral competition inherently produce better governance. This assumption deserves scrutiny. Is there any empirical guarantee that a democracy always results in better outcomes for the people?

China’s system—a dynastic-style meritocracy supported by a disciplined bureaucracy—offers a starkly different model. It demands to be judged not by our principles, but by its results.

In the Chinese model, political and economic power are explicitly separated. There is no lobbying. There is no Goldman Sachs candidate. Xi Jinping’s early actions against the ultra-rich were not just symbolic—they drew a firm line: wealth does not translate into political clout. It was a message to both the people and the Party.

The Economic Experiment: Not Neoliberal, Not Statalist

China is running a hybrid system—a unique experiment in balancing state planning and entrepreneurial energy. This is not neoliberal capitalism. Nor is it command socialism. It is something else: a system in which the state intervenes strategically, but not bureaucratically. It nurtures markets but does not worship them. Profit is permitted—but within a framework of collective planning.

Since I first visited Beijing in 2020, twenty new metro lines have been constructed. The city government’s goal is that no one should live more than 500 meters from a metro station. In contrast, it takes Rome 20 years to build a single line.

Compared to the EU, China feels almost deregulated. It’s easier to start a business, to build, to innovate. Europe drowns in rules, choking its own potential. Yet unlike unbridled American capitalism, China has never believed that markets alone can ensure the common good.

This model is not free of contradictions—corruption and nepotism persist—but the very existence of a dynamic, politically engaged state that adapts and sets long-term goals is a major asset.

Why I’d Join the Communist Party

If I were Chinese, I would join the Party. Not out of ideology, but because I believe in the trajectory. The CCP remains committed—despite all internal contradictions—to improving the life of its people. It’s not a hollow slogan; it’s a principle still deeply embedded in governance. And it gets things done: electrification of transport, infrastructure upgrades, rapid technological pivots—all executed without the gridlock endemic to Western parliaments.

Moreover, the internal culture of many Party cadres is not cynical or corrupt. I’ve met people who genuinely believe in service, not power. That’s a spirit we often miss when we reduce the Party to a monolithic autocracy.

On Leadership and Personality

Western media often portrays Chinese officials and entrepreneurs as dull bureaucrats. That stereotype collapses when you actually encounter Chinese leaders. Jack Ma, for example, emerged in public dialogue as intelligent, curious, and deeply human—outshining his Western counterparts in humility and nuance. He—and many like him—are not media-manufactured superstars. They are held accountable, and that has shaped a more grounded leadership culture.

I recommend to search for the Youtube video that featured a discussion between Jack Ma and Elon Musk

Final Reflections: Toward Plural Modernities

The time has come to shed the illusion of one-size-fits-all modernity. Democracy is not a religion. Free markets are not sacred. Western liberalism is not the final stage of political evolution.

China is offering a different possibility: a path that does not rely on constant elections or unlimited personal freedom, but one rooted in collective ambition, state-led coordination, and a belief in competence over charisma.

This is not to deny the flaws—China has many. But our critiques must come with self-critique. We must be as skeptical of our own systems as we are of others.

In these two essays, I have not tried to idealize China. I have tried to understand it, and to challenge the lazy superiority that clouds our Western gaze. The future will not be Western or Chinese. It will be plural.

And if we are wise, it will be cooperative

Background Material