CCP has long since abandoned actual Marxism, even the totalitarian kind.
Marx would probably be glad to know his work is still known, but bitterly disappointed that his work became used to justify a series of Imperial governments pretending to be Marxists who squared off with Imperial governments pretending to be Adam Smith enthusiasts while both gutted the global south as enthusiastically as possible.
There’s a lot to criticize China for, but I don’t think they can be said to be “gutting the global south as enthusiastically as possible” even as hyperbole. The main accusation against China in this regard—so-called “debt-trap diplomacy”—is AFAIK strictly hypothetical.
ELI5?
CCP has long since abandoned actual Marxism, even the totalitarian kind.
Marx would probably be glad to know his work is still known, but bitterly disappointed that his work became used to justify a series of Imperial governments pretending to be Marxists who squared off with Imperial governments pretending to be Adam Smith enthusiasts while both gutted the global south as enthusiastically as possible.
There’s a lot to criticize China for, but I don’t think they can be said to be “gutting the global south as enthusiastically as possible” even as hyperbole. The main accusation against China in this regard—so-called “debt-trap diplomacy”—is AFAIK strictly hypothetical.
The least charitable interpretation of the Belt and Road Initiative is that it’s an alternative to the IMF