There are two stories today about Marx and China, one in the Wall Street Journal, and one in the Financial Times, each with a different look at the same subject. China has decided it owes something to the works of Karl Marx. The Times tells the story with a statue that was to be made in China and displayed in Germany. The Germans had second thoughts about the size of the statue, and a China-Germany state summit at the time of the 200th celebration of Marx’s birth. As the article points out, Xi’s Marxism is absent any mention of class or capitalism. The Journal says Xi actually led the Politburo in a study session of The Communist Manifesto, which must have put everyone on the edge of their seat.
The main reason for this return to Marxism seems to be the appeal of it to shaping one-party, one leader in such a big country. It gets away from history using only Chinese thought leaders, and puts Marx and his approach out front. China is increasingly centralized, and the Times article points out that this is not necessarily good for China’s overall economic development. China is Communist and true to its roots, yet large parts of its economy are based on principles Marx might find out of step with his philosophies. Those rich people driving Audis and BMWs may be looking over their shoulder more with this kind of approach at the top.
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