The ruling communist party in mainland China recently celebrated its 100th birthday on 1st of July on the Tiananmen Square with a military fly-past, a speech by the party’s general secretary Xi Jinping, and ended with the performance of The Internationale and the Ode to the Motherland (歌唱祖国, Gechang Zuguo)
Much has been said about the significance of the anniversary, perhaps too much has been circulating online. I would therefore not attempt to muddy the waters.
Instead, I hope to turn your attention to another more nuanced, yet equally important issue concerning communism, communist party, and China. That is, what is the suitable name for the ruling party of mainland China?
In the Anglo-American directed sphere of influence, the nomenclature for mainland China’s ruling party has always been the “Chinese Communist Party”, or the “CCP”. However, in the Sinosphere, the nomenclature is actually “Communist Party of China”, or the “CPC”.
Between the CCP and the CPC, what difference would it make, one may ask.
The term that’s familiar to most Western readers, CCP, placed more emphasis on the communistic nature of the party, “Chinese” only serves a descriptive role that modifies “Communist”.
CPC, on the other hand, indicated the relationship between the party and China, indicating an attributive relationship between the two, suggesting that the party, although is communist, but ultimately rooted in its Chinese background.
On the party’s own website, it chooses CPC over CCP for its English terms. This official recognition is rarely reflected outside Beijing’s own sphere of influence.
Why is this so? Perhaps it stems from the West’s familiarity with communism over China.
What implication does it have?
Continued use of the term “CCP” would only play into the hands of populist leaders, who through the repeated emphasis on “Communist”, invoke various negative emotions associated with the term throughout the 20th century. This would only lead to more anti-Asian, anti-Chinese sentiments and racist hate crimes in the society.
Instead, the term CPC will shift attention away from “Communist”, and the various negative emotions associated with it. After all, any sensible mind shouldn’t ignore the fact that the party, despite its shortcomings, remains in tight control over mainland China, and plays a significant role in the world stage today.
The Sinographer 