Is there a new capitalist class in China today? 

Source: "Hot points of theory in China", Ha Bingmeng (Ed.), translated into Vietnamese by Le Van Toan, The Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House, 2017, p.199-206

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   Since “three big innovations” had been completed in 1956, working class and peasantry were always two fundamental classes in Chinese society. After “Reform and Opening-up”, along with the continuous development of industrialization process, the number of peasantry in China fell sharply, however its overall quality became more and more advanced. In recent 20 years, nearly 150 million of peasants are “free” from the field, and participate in manufacturing industry and service sector. Not only has working class grown bigger in size, but the number of who works in technical and managerial sector has also increased. Moreover, new social strata also emerged, such as entrepreneur, managerial class, technician working in private technology-based firms, managerial and technical staff employed by “three-type-capital” enterprises, non-public business, and the intermediary…1 Comrade Jiang Zemin, in the speech of 01-7-2001 Ceremony, emphasized that the mass of people in these new social strata are also the builders of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Everyone all agreed on this point. However, what should we view about private businessman, non-public businessman, including private technology-based firms? Do they become a new class in Chinese society – “new capitalists” or “new bourgeois class”? Scientists and experts have different views and opinions on this matter.

   According to the class division standards of Marxist classics and in the history of the Communist Party of China, those who possess the means of production do not themselves engage in labor, relying solely on possessing the means of production. the means of production and occupy without compensation the surplus value created by workers to settle their own and their family's living expenses, are "capitalists" or elements of the bourgeoisie living on exploitation. Some people have based on this view, using that criterion to observe China's non-public economic entrepreneurs or public entrepreneurs today, they clearly possess the means of production, nor do they participate in it. direct laborers, but also control a part of the surplus value created by the working class, they are clearly no different from the capitalists in China's history or in modern capitalist countries, they are the "capitalists" or "new bourgeoisie" of today's Chinese society.

   The authors of "Research on the current Chinese class structure" of the Chinese Institute of Social Sciences proposed: The private economy and private enterprises in the current period of China was born in the historical conditions of the early stages of building socialism, is the product of the policy of the Chinese Party and State to benefit the development of productive forces, strengthen the national strength, raise the living standards of the people, implement the permitting and encouragement of the non-public economy to develop. In the historical conditions of the early stages of building socialism, the insistence in the leadership of the working class and the public ownership as the main actor, the existence and development of the private economy and the owners of private enterprises are consistent with the "three beneficial", complementary relations of the private economy and the public economy, the solidarity cooperation between the owner of the private enterprise with other classes and social strata is greater than the conflicting and competitive relationship between the private economy and the owner of the private enterprise with the public economy and the classes, other social strata. In terms of political attitudes, the vast majority of them support the socialist regime, support the leadership of the Party, support the policies and lines of the Party. Therefore, although the class of private businessmen are owners of capital and employers of hired workers, in terms of relations possessing production materials and sources of income, they differ markedly from other classes and social strata, but it cannot therefore be concluded simply that they are a "new bourgeoisie" of Chinese society. 2

   Researcher Ha Bingmeng of the Chinese Institute of Social Sciences in his article generally referred to businessmen, entrepreneurs as "new capitalists" or "new bourgeoisie". It is simplification, very one-sided, unjust to non-public economy (not included foreign-owned enterprises), to non-public entrepreneurs, to entrepreneurs, to businessmen. There are at least 5 reasons to say so: (1) The Chinese Constitution specifies, the Chinese non-public sector in the present period is an important constituent part of socialist economy, which is not capitalist economy. We naturally cannot regard the legal delegates of an important constituent part of the socialist economy, the corporate, enterprise and entrepreneurs as "new capitalists" or "new bourgeoisie"; (2) Among the business people's class, there are many people who are scientific and technical cadres, some who before becoming businessmen have been communist party members, even grassroots managers of the Party and the Government trained by the Party for a long time. At the request of the basic party line, responding to the party's call, many people was encouraged by the Party and the Government, they put down the "iron bowl" (salary according to the state budget - LVT) down, engaged in business, arduously established a career. If we, no matter what, keep calling them "new capitalists," the "new bourgeoisie," putting them on our "own list"; (3) Business people are first and foremost socialist workers, moreover, high-quality workers. Calling those high-quality socialist workers "capitalists," even from a Marxist perspective on labor values, doesn't seem to be suitable; (4) The practice proves that the economy of business people and businessmen has had the effect of maintaining the stability of Chinese society, which can be said to have a historical role, moreover, that effect will continue to be promoted. How can we call those businessmen who have made a great contribution to the cause of Chinese reform, development and stability as "new capitalists" or "new bourgeoisie"?; (5) The class of entrepreneurs of non-public sector of economy appeared en masse during more than 20 years of open reforms that "the majority were born under red flags, grew up under red flags," many of them, before becoming businessmen who served as communist party members, are grassroots cadres of the Party, some of whom, although not communists, have also been educated and fostered by the Party for a long time, molded in socialist thought, in Marxism. Most of them supported the leadership of the Communist Party, all supported socialism, a part of which also steadfastly supported the supreme position of the Party, earnestly applied for the Party. If we defy that fact and push them into the rank of the "new capitalists", of the "new bourgeoisie" it is even more unsatisfactory. The topic group "Research on current Chinese class structure" of the Chinese Institute of Social Sciences also specifies: "In the current Chinese class and social class structure, the working class and the peasantry are still two major fundamental classes. Of those two large basic classes, they can be divided into "smaller strata". The authors argue that the fundamental part of the Chinese working class in the current period is mainly the masses, public employees, workers directly or not directly engaged in production in industry and service industry, which can be called the working class of public employees. This class included workers in traditional manufacturing industries, new high-tech workers, service workers, agricultural workers and workers who lost their jobs, five groups. The Chinese working class, whose political status is the leadership class, is related to social responsibility, also includes the cadre class, the professional technical staff, the industrial managerial class, and the soldiers. The Chinese peasantry has always been the most predominant, most reliable ally of the working class politically, also the most predominant source of replenishment for the working class to thrive. Currently, the Chinese peasantry can be divided into several groups below: (1) Large professional agricultural households. Currently, the country has about 4.76 million households, accounting for about 2% of the total number of peasant households; (2) Part-time farmers, there are about 84.77 million households, accounting for about 36% of the total number of rural households, non-agricultural incomes accounting for over 25% of total family income; (3) Smallholder households, which have about 148.58 million households, accounting for about 62% of the total number of rural households, are the largest class of the Chinese peasantry today; (4) Collective farmers. In the current peasantry there are still a small number of collective peasants, persistent in collective business, cooperative production, collective labor, relying on collective economic development for mutual wealth; (5) Rural cadres. Mainly consisting of officials who still hold agricultural household registration in the Party, government, and economic agencies, those who receive fixed annual allowances and village officials who receive allowances. 

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1. Ha Bingmeng: "We have to use new viewpoint to view new social strata", "Study and practice" Review, issue 4, 2022.

2. The topic group ""Research on current Chinese class structure", the Chinese Institute of Social Sciences: "Investigation report of research on current Chinese class structure", October 2002.

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Translated into English by Dang Tuan Dung