Political Implications of China's Technocracy in the Reform Era

This book focuses on the evolution of technocracy in contemporary Chinese politics and its implications in China’s elite politics and policymaking. The rise of technocracy in contemporary Chinese politics is not only attributed to the meritocratic tradition based on civil service exams in ancient China but also tied to the current authoritarian political system that relies on the top-down cadre promotion approach instead of public elections. Leaders with technocratic backgrounds have brought changes to China’s political landscape since technocrats tend to solve governance issues using technical solutions in an industrialized society as compared to pure politicians and revolutionaries, who are inclined to resort to political, and sometimes populist, options. This book examines the specific tech areas from which top technocrats have been emerging in Chinese politics, which include military and aerospace industry, public health, engineering and science, economics and finance, as well as information technology. It is a unique research monograph based on research on China’s evolving technocracy and its political, economic and international implications that provides a detailed and thorough study of the country’s industrial policies being reshaped by these technocrats and their likelihood of joining the Chinese Communist Party’s top echelon in the next five to ten years. Contents 6 List of Figures 8 List of Tables 9 1 Introduction 10 1.1 New Technocratic Trends in China and the World 11 1.2 Comparison of Technocracy in Authoritarian and Democratic Systems 13 1.3 Impacts Upon Domestic Governance and International Relations 18 References 25 2 Evolution of Technocracy in P.R. China 27 2.1 Mao’s Era 27 2.2 Technocracy in Deng, Jiang and Hu’s Time 31 2.3 Technocracy in Xi’s Era 36 2.4 Implications of Reviving Technocracy 42 References 44 3 Rising Stars from Strategic Industries 45 3.1 China’s 20th Party Congress 45 3.2 The Rise of the “Aerospace Clique” 49 3.3 Technocrats in Other Industries 52 3.4 An Expanding Techno-security Concept 54 3.5 The Limits of Chinese Technocracy 59 References 61 4 Technocracy and Future Leadership Succession 63 4.1 Models of Chinese Elite Politics 63 4.2 Technocracy Versus Xi-in-Command: A New Model of Career Advancement 66 4.3 Technocrats in Future Power Reshuffling 72 References 76 5 Domestic and International Implications 79 5.1 Domestic Political Implications 79 5.2 Economic Implications and the Rise of Military–Industrial Complex 83 5.3 Self-Reliance and Inward-Looking Policies 91 5.4 International Implications 97 References 101 6 Discussion and Conclusion: Technocracy and the Future of CCP 103 6.1 Authoritarian Resilience 104 6.2 Elite Politics and Succession Issue 107 6.3 China’s Military–Industrial-Technological Complex 113 6.4 Security Dilemma 116 References 119 Index 121