China: From Communist State to Global Power

 The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949 after a long civil war, when the Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, took control of the country. After decades of foreign intervention, internal conflict, and poverty, the new government aimed to unify the nation and create equality through a communist system. Land, factories, and resources were placed under state control, and private enterprise was largely eliminated. While this brought stability and literacy to many areas, it also led to economic stagnation, food shortages, and strict political control.

A major turning point came after Mao’s death in 1976. Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, China introduced economic reforms in 1978. These reforms allowed limited capitalism within a communist political system — a model often described as “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Private businesses were permitted, foreign companies were invited to invest, and special economic zones were created along the coast. This pragmatic shift marked China’s economic breakthrough and began decades of rapid growth.

As China integrated into the global economy, especially after joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, it became the “world’s factory.” Low production costs and massive industrial capacity attracted multinational companies. As a result, hundreds of millions of people were lifted out of poverty, cities expanded rapidly, and a large middle class emerged. China also invested heavily in infrastructure, building high-speed rail networks, ports, highways, and modern cities at an unprecedented scale.

However, China’s rapid rise did not come without controversy. For decades, the government enforced the one-child policy to control population growth. While effective in slowing population increase, it caused long-term problems such as an aging population, a gender imbalance, and labor shortages. Many families preferred boys, which led to a large number of girls being abandoned, neglected, or even aborted. Some girls were adopted by families in Western countries. The policy also contributed to a shortage of marriage partners for men.

China has also been widely criticized for censorship and surveillance. The government tightly controls the media and the internet, limiting freedom of expression. Closely linked to this is the social credit system, which monitors citizens’ behavior and assigns scores based on compliance with laws and social norms. Supporters argue it promotes trust and responsibility, while critics see it as a powerful tool of social control.

Serious human rights concerns have also shaped China’s global image. International organizations accuse the government of persecuting the Uyghur population in the Xinjiang region through mass surveillance, forced detention, and cultural repression. In addition, China has faced criticism for labor conditions in factories, where sweatshops, long hours, and low wages have been reported, particularly in global supply chains. Foreign companies such as Nike, Apple , Adidas, H&M , Zara andGap have received heavy criticism for producing their products in these sweatshops, taking advantage of the low labour costs to maimize their profits. 

Despite these issues, China has made significant positive contributions to the world. It has become a leader in renewable energy, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and medical research. China plays a key role in global trade and climate efforts and has invested in infrastructure projects worldwide through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a massive, China-led infrastructure and investment program launched in 2013 to connect Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond via land ("Belt") and sea ("Road") routes.

Today, China is considered a global phenomenon — admired for its economic success and long-term planning, yet criticized for its political system and human rights record. Its rise has sparked debate about power, values, and whether the world is moving toward a new multipolar order, as suggested by leaders such as Canada’s prime minister in speeches at global forums like Davos.

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2. Vocabulary Match

Match each word with the correct definition.

Word		Definition
1. dominance		a. the process of becoming visible or important
2. investment		b. leaving someone without care or support
3. emergence		c. practical and focused on results rather than theory
4. pragmatic		d. a competing country or group
5. infrastructure		e. the state of being extremely poor
6. poverty		f. control or suppression of information or ideas
7. rival		g. money put into something to gain future benefits
8. integration		h. basic systems like roads, energy, and transport
9. censorship		i. strong control or power over others
10. dependency		j. change from one state or situation to another
11. multipolar		k. joining or becoming part of a larger system
12. influence		l. having several centers of power
13. abandonment		m. reliance on someone or something else
14. lift (out of)		n. an unfair difference between the number of men and women
15. gender imbalance		o. power to affect decisions or behavior
16. adoption		p. treated as less important or ignored
17. transition		q. to help someone escape a difficult situation
18. reform		r. being taken into another family
19. neglected		s. change made to improve a system or law

3. Synonym Match

Match each word with its closest synonym.

Word		Synonym
reform		a. control
dominance		b. funding
rival		c. ignored
pragmatic		d. shift
influence		e. competitor
emergence		f. reliance
investment		g. rise
transition		h. practical
integration		i. impact
dependency		j. inclusion
abandonment		k. taking in
gender imbalance		l. inequality
adoption		m. neglect
neglected		n. improvement

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4. Role-Play Activities

Role-Play A – “A Family Invites a Government Official for Dinner and they have a Debate on the One-Child Policy”

Characters:

• Parent – explains why the policy was introduced

• Teenager – shocked about the treatment of girls

• Goverment official  – thinks it was necessary to control population

Starter:
Parent: The government said the policy was needed to prevent overpopulation.
Teenager: But what about the girls? Many were abandoned or adopted abroad.
Elder: We had to control numbers, but I admit it caused suffering.

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Role-Play B – “Economic vs Human Rights Debate”

Characters:

• CEO of Zara– praises China’s low costs and infrastructure

• Human Rights Activist – criticizes labor conditions

• Factory worker – Does not want to be exploited but also does not want to be unemployed

Starter:
CEO: China is ideal for manufacturing because of its efficiency. In Zara, we are able to turn a profit because of low worker wages. This is how to succeed in the business world . 
Activist: But workers are exploited in sweatshops. This is complete hypocricy and eploitation ! 
Woker:  

Role-Play C – “Debate on Social Credit and Censorship”

Characters:

• Government Official – supports social credit for safety and trust

• Citizen – worried about personal freedom

• Journalist – wants to understand pros and cons

Starter:
Official: Social credit encourages responsibility and good behavior.
Citizen: But it limits freedom of speech and punishes mistakes harshly.
Journalist: Is it fair to monitor everyone’s personal actions?

5. Discussion & Comparative Exercise

Exercise A –  – Practices in China Criticized by the West

Discuss each point about China and why we are very critical of such practices in the west 

1. Government censorship of media and the internet

2. Persecution and surveillance of the Uyghur population

3. Poor labor conditions and sweatshops in global supply chains

4. The abandonment and neglect of girls during the one-child policy

5. The social credit system and mass surveillance

6. Erasure of parts of its history such as the student led revolution in Tianemen Square

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Exercise B – Achievements in China Admired by the West

Discuss each point about China and why it is admired by the West  .

1. Massive reduction of poverty

2. High-speed rail and large-scale infrastructure development

3. Leadership in renewable energy and electric vehicles

4. Rapid technological innovation (AI, medical research, manufacturing)

5. Huge investment in popular and influential world sports like contracting experienced foreign football stars and hosting the Olympic Games.

6. Incredible work ethic  by the Chinese population

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6. Fill-in-the-Blanks

Use the correct word from the box:

emergence | reform | dominance | transition | integration | infrastructure | pragmatic | investment | influence | abandonment | gender imbalance | adoption | neglected | lift (out of)

1. China’s economic _________ began after Deng Xiaoping introduced reforms in 1978.

2. Many girls suffered _________ or were completely ignored by their families.

3. The one-child policy caused a serious _________ in Chinese society.

4. Some children were sent abroad through _________.

5. Economic _________ and development lifted millions of people out of poverty.

6. The country underwent a major political _________ after Mao’s death.

7. Private businesses were allowed, showing a _________ approach to reform.

8. The government’s tight control over media represents _________.

9. China invested heavily in roads, ports, and electricity — its modern _________.