Global China, (Former) Yugoslavia, and Socialism

Anastas Vangeli

doi:10.2298/FID2304613V

Authors

Anastas Vangeli University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2298/FID2304613V

Keywords:

China, Yugoslavia, socialism, globalization, interactions

Abstract

This article grounds the study of socialism in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), in a critical analysis of power, capitalism, and hegemony. The governance of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is riddled with paradoxes in shaping a distinct socialist model that observers from the West frequently find challenging to digest. It is characterized by both inclusive institutional innovation and authoritarian coercion; leveraging the power of the state in achieving more just economic outcomes while reproducing unfair capitalist social realities; and devising alternatives to the hegemonic neoliberal globalization, while working on safeguarding the status quo and the institutions upon which such hegemony rests. This complex Chinese model is a product of experimentation and learning; some of the lessons that have shaped it originate in the interaction with and reflection on socialist Yugoslavia, whose example has been pivotal in how China has navigated geopolitical complexities and implemented reforms. Finally, the article discusses the contemporary interactions between Yugoslav successor states and China, examining the nature of the impact of Global China and examine any implications for the reflection on socialism in former Yugoslavia.

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