When people state that China is a triumph of communism; those people obviously do not know what communism, the Marxist-Leninist version of the communist political ideology, is. By embracing capitalist economic principles and practices, China has essentially dropped most of the ideological philosophy of Mao Zedong, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin.

As the founding figure of the People’s Republic of China, Mao presided over a revolutionary project rooted in Marxist and Leninist principles, emphasising class struggle, collective ownership (collectivisation), and the eradication of inequality. Yet, looking at modern-day China, it is difficult to ignore the profound transformation that has taken place since his death in 1976.

Many observers argue that the system that now defines China would have been unrecognisable, and perhaps deeply troubling, to Mao himself.

China has abandoned Communism Economy 45 years ago.
Now, China has an Authoritarian government with a Capitalism economy, which is more ruthless than America’s.

There are no food banks, food snaps, food stamps in China.
And tens of thousands of young people are becoming… https://t.co/wq7u52d0hQ pic.twitter.com/UI9GSLZzoZ

— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) November 29, 2025

Of course, today’s China does incorporate a totalitarian/authoritarian form of faux communist ideology, but this is invariably intertwined with capitalistic elements, stock markets, billionaires, and the inevitable wealth gaps and inequality that capitalism brings.

Meanwhile over 30 million Chinese peasants are still living in mud huts, without running water, indoor toilets, indoor heating.

They are too poor to send their kids to schools. The kids have nothing to do but play dirt..Without education, poverty becomes multi-generational… https://t.co/3g5ce4XxcS pic.twitter.com/wPgQ2996UV

— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) December 18, 2025

The turning point for China came under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, who initiated sweeping economic reforms in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These reforms dismantled much of the centrally planned economy and introduced market mechanisms, private enterprise, and foreign investment.

While the Chinese Communist Party retained political control, the economic sphere was increasingly opened to forces traditionally associated with capitalism.

Deng famously justified this shift with a rationalist ethos, suggesting that it did not matter whether a cat was black or white so long as it caught mice. Ideological purity was subordinated in favour of economic performance. It seemed that the Chinese wanted the good things in life as much as the capitalists were enjoying in the rest of the world.

Over the decades, this capitalistic approach has produced extraordinary economic growth. China transformed itself into a global economic powerhouse and the globalists’ manufacturing hub, where pretty much everything is made cheaply, then transported to the rest of the world and sold for huge profit.

However, this success has also brought consequences that sit uneasily alongside classical Marxist doctrine. The rise of billionaires, vast private fortunes, and powerful corporate interests appears fundamentally at odds with the ideal of a classless society. Wealth disparities between urban and rural areas, as well as between different regions, have widened significantly.

Mao Zedong’s vision of China mirrored that of Karl Marx’s economic principles that focus on a critique of capitalism, arguing that it relies on the exploitation of the working class (proletariat) by the owner class (bourgeoisie) through the extraction of surplus value.

Key underlying concepts include the labour theory of value, historical materialism, and the inevitable shift toward collective ownership. Marx argued that capitalism forces workers to sell their labour for subsistence wages, alienating them from their work. In modern China, this is very much true, with millions of Chinese workers paid at a very basic subsistence level.

Moreover, the emergence of what some describe as “crony capitalism” has fuelled concerns about corruption and the concentration of power.

Although the state remains dominant in key sectors, the blending of political authority and private wealth has created an environment in which influence and resources are often closely intertwined. This raises questions about whether the system still reflects the egalitarian aspirations that once defined the revolutionary movement.

From a strictly ideological perspective, the current model is difficult to reconcile with orthodox Marxism-Leninism. Classical theory envisages the eventual abolition of private property and the withering away of class distinctions.

Contemporary China, by contrast, operates a hybrid system in which the state guides and regulates a largely market-driven economy. While the Party continues to invoke socialist rhetoric and maintains tight political control, the lived economic reality for many citizens resembles that of a capitalist society.

China is still far behind the West.

Over 30 million peasants are still living in mud huts, Without running water, indoor flushing toilets, indoor heating and paved roads.

35 million rural children are undernourished to the point of facing permanent IQ stunting. https://t.co/rFCDzdVMQI pic.twitter.com/zO0wxeytpf

— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) December 9, 2025

The Chinese leadership often argues that its approach represents an adaptation of socialism to national conditions, sometimes described as ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics.’ For many traditionalists, what the Chinese leadership is doing today is dabbling in greed-fuelled capitalistic behaviour that denigrates and betrays the core philosophy of Mao Zedong and his vision for China.

Inequality is rife, especially in rural areas of China, where poverty is still a major factor of life. Whilst the showcase cities and their lights display wealth, many Chinese people have been left behind. In this respect, the betrayal and desecration of pure Chinese communist ideology is complete. One could even postulate that some European countries, like the UK hold more communistic characteristics, especially with their welfare system and socialist NHS and education systems.

The prominence of private wealth, the persistence of inequality, and the role of profit-driven enterprise are prime examples of this abandonment of communism.

China is not communist; it is a corrupt capitalist dictatorship.