Chinese federalism
Encyclopedia
Chinese federalism refers to political theories which argue that China
's central government either does or should devolve
large amounts of power to local entities. (See federalism
). Such proposals were made in the early twentieth century, in connection with the end of the Qing dynasty
; as well as recently, with a view to providing checks against the power of the central government, as well as settling the relationship between the People's Republic of China
, Taiwan
, Hong Kong
, Macau
, and other potential political entities. A few scholars, such as Fareed Zakaria
, suggest that political power in China is already decentralized, albeit on an informal basis.
Wu Bangguo
, officially number two in China's leadership structure, said in 2011 there will be no federal system in China.
, founded in November 1894 by Sun Yat-Sen
, was among the first to suggest that a future Chinese government should be established on federal lines—a feeling expressed in the organisation's oath, "Expel the northern barbarians
, revive Zhonghua
, and establish a unified (hézhòng) government" (驅逐韃虜，恢復中華，建立合眾政府). The term hézhòng (合眾), literally meaning "many unified as one", refers to a federal structure such as the United States of America.
During the Xinhai Revolution
, fourteen provinces proclaimed independence from the Qing dynasty and reunited as the Republic of China
(中華民國 / 中华民国 /Zhōnghuá Mínguó). But when the Guizhou Provincial Consultative Council (貴州省諮議局 / 贵州省咨议局/Gùizhōushěng Zīyìjú) proclaimed independence, they asked to build the Great Han Federal Democratic Republic (大漢聯邦民主共和國 / 大汉联邦民主共和国 /Dàhàn Liánbāng Mínzhǔ Gònghéguó). Prior to January 1912, one semi-official translation of the country's new name used by revolutional Shanghai Military Government (滬軍都督府 / 沪军都督府 / Hùjān Dūdūfǔ) was the United Provinces of China. Sun Yat-sen's title in 1912 was "President of the Provisional Government of the United Provinces of China". Chinese federalists from this period often used "United Provinces" (聯省 / Lián Shěng) instead of "Federation" (聯邦 / Lían bang) or "United States" (合眾國 / Hézhòng Gúo) because "states" suggested a more independent arrangement than "provinces." In other words, they wished to avoid the impression that federalism implied separatism
.
Proposals for a federal Chinese state were first advanced in the 1920s, but these proved unpopular. These often used the phrase United Autonomous Provinces (聯省自治 / Liánshĕng Zìzhì) as the name of the intended system. Hunan
was the center of this movement. The young Mao Zedong
even advocated the formation of a "Republic of Hunan" during that period. But many intellectuals, including Sun Yat-sen, argued that these proposals would limit the ability of China to fight off external invasion and would legitimize the rule of warlord
s.
in Jiangxi
, they aimed at a political system modeled after the union republics of the Soviet Union
. According to their plans, China was to be a soviet federal republic with several autonomous republics (such as Mongolia, Turkestan, and Tibet) During the period of the Long March
they established a small autonomous
republic for Tibetans in Sichuan
. In Shaanxi
, however, they changed their nationality policy, abandoning their plan to establish autonomous republics (as in the Soviet Union) in favor of autonomous regions. The first of these to be created was Inner Mongolia
in 1947.
When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, it was divided into six semi-independent greater administrative area
s. The central government was transferred from the People's Government of North China and just controlled northern China and Inner Mongolia. Other greater administrative area
s had more autonomy. This autonomy had ended completely by 1954.
More recently, some economists have argued that during the process of Chinese economic reform
that the People's Republic has evolved into a de-facto federal state in which provinces have wide discretion to implement policy goals which are set by the PRC central government and in which provinces and localities actively compete with each other in order to advance economically. According to a 2004 study conducted by Bo Zhiyue, Chair of the Department of International Studies at the St. John Fisher College, provincial authorities have greater institutional power than central institutions. Bo concluded that after the 16th Party Congress, due to personnel transfers between the provinces and the centre, the central authorities emerged more powerful, but was still shy of outpowering the provincial authorities on his power index score.
, one of the authors of which is human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize
winner Liu Xiaobo
, calls for the establishment of a Chinese "Federal Republic". The relevant proposal states:
"A Federated Republic. A democratic China should seek to act as a responsible major power contributing toward peace and development in the Asian Pacific region by approaching others in a spirit of equality and fairness. In Hong Kong and Macao, we should support the freedoms that already exist. With respect to Taiwan, we should declare our commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy and then, negotiating as equals and ready to compromise, seek a formula for peaceful unification. We should approach disputes in the national-minority areas of China with an open mind, seeking ways to find a workable framework within which all ethnic and religious groups can flourish. We should aim ultimately at a federation of democratic communities of China."
As of late 2010, Charter 08 has already been signed by more than 10,000 people both inside and outside China.
encompassing mainland China
, Macau
, Hong Kong
and Taiwan
. This "Third Republic" (following on from the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China
) is proposed by supporters of the Tibet independence movement
, although it would not in effect create an independent Tibet. Yan Jiaqi
, writing for the Tibetan government in exile, has written that:
"It would be a federation with the characteristics of a confederation. Federal China would consist of two kinds of republics: 'loose republics' such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang: and 'close republics' consisting the rest of China."
According to Yan:
"They would differ from the existing federal countries in their defence, taxation and legal systems"
This model, however, in which the close republics would have an arrangement based on the United States of America, and the loose republics more on the European Union
, is not agreed upon by all advocates of a Federal Republic.
, it was modeled closely after the United States of America . Given the political, social and linguistic realities of China in the warlord
period, Chen Jiongming believed that a federalist approach was the only feasible way to eventually establish a united, democratic republic
. Beginning with Guangdong
as a model state, he wanted to organize a "United States of China in the manner of the American experience" through negotiation with federalists from all parts of the country (New York Times June 27, 1922).
This usage was popularized after Chinese president Jiang Zemin
in 2001 made a comment that a united China can adopt a new national name and flag. Large economic ties between China and Taiwan have also motivated the occasional informal use of the term to describe a united China.
The introduction of Special Economic Zones since the 1980s have led to the development of several distinct regional economies within the People's Republic of China
, such as the Pearl River Delta
, Yangtze River Delta
, and the Bohai Circle. Several of these regions have economies the size of small developed nations. Some scholars who use the term United States of China argue that during the process of Chinese economic reform
the People's Republic has evolved into a de-facto federal state in which these economic regions have wide discretion to implement policy goals which are set by the PRC central government and in which provinces and localities actively compete with each other in order to advance economically.
The other concept is that of a United Republics of China (中華聯合共和國 / 中华联合共和国 / Zhōnghuá Liánhé Gònghéguó). First devised in the fantastic "Outline of (the) Post-War New World Map"
. Published in Philadelphia in early 1942, this map created by Maurice Gomberg shows a proposal to re-arrange the world after an Allied victory against the Axis forces. In the map the United Republics of China (URC) includes all parts of present-day China, Korea, the erstwhile French colony of Indochina (now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), Thailand and Malaya. Otherwise, North Manchuria and Mongolia belong to USSR; Taiwan and Hainan were the territories of USA.
In 2004, Lin Chong-Pin (林中斌), former deputy Minister of Defense ROC, said that a think tank
in Beijing or Shanghai gave a proposal for United Republics of China. None of this proposal was known. But in the same years the officials and thinking tanks of PRC often are interested in the history of mainland Tanganyika and archipelago Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania. As Zanzibar
has its own president, government, parliament, autonomy, etc. and the president of Zanzibar is the vice-president of Tanzania, it seems to be the example of Deng Xiapoing's
"One country, two systems
" in China.
In 2011, Li Yi-hu (李義虎), director of Institute of International Politics, University of Peking, said that Tanzania and Zanzibar, the model of "One country, two constitutions", could be referring to "One China, two constitutions". In February 2011, China Review published an article about the Tanzanian style of Chinese reunification.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's central government either does or should devolve
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
large amounts of power to local entities. (See federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
). Such proposals were made in the early twentieth century, in connection with the end of the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
; as well as recently, with a view to providing checks against the power of the central government, as well as settling the relationship between the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, and other potential political entities. A few scholars, such as Fareed Zakaria
Fareed Zakaria
Fareed Rafiq Zakaria is an Indian-American journalist and author. From 2000 to 2010, he was a columnist for Newsweek and editor of Newsweek International. In 2010 he became Editor-At-Large of Time magazine...
, suggest that political power in China is already decentralized, albeit on an informal basis.
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo is a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He is currently Chairman and Party secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, a position that makes him China's chief legislator...
, officially number two in China's leadership structure, said in 2011 there will be no federal system in China.
Imperial-era Federalism
Although there have been extremely few studies of Chinese federalism during the imperial era, some important contributions have been made recently. Federal institutional reforms of Han and Tang China have been recently compared to the Roman Empire in work by Ronald A. Edwards. The study Edwards (2009) clearly shows similarities in constitutional reforms across two major Chinese dynasties and the Roman Empire. This paper, in particular, more than many recent comparative studies of China and the West, makes one of the strongest cases for comparisons that can contribute to our understanding of federalism in ancient China and ancient Rome and more generally China and the West.Nationalist-era proposals
The Revive China SocietyRevive China Society
The Hsing Chung Hui or Xingzhonghui translated as the Revive China Society, Society for Regenerating China, Proper China Society was founded by Sun Yat-sen on 24 November 1894 to forward the goal of establishing prosperity for China and as a platform for future revolutionary activities...
, founded in November 1894 by Sun Yat-Sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
, was among the first to suggest that a future Chinese government should be established on federal lines—a feeling expressed in the organisation's oath, "Expel the northern barbarians
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
, revive Zhonghua
Huaxia
Huaxia is a name often used to represent China or Chinese civilization.-Etymology:According to the historical record, Zuo Zhuan, the ancient Xia Dynasty of central China was a state that held propriety and justice in high esteem...
, and establish a unified (hézhòng) government" (驅逐韃虜，恢復中華，建立合眾政府). The term hézhòng (合眾), literally meaning "many unified as one", refers to a federal structure such as the United States of America.
During the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
, fourteen provinces proclaimed independence from the Qing dynasty and reunited as the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(中華民國 / 中华民国 /Zhōnghuá Mínguó). But when the Guizhou Provincial Consultative Council (貴州省諮議局 / 贵州省咨议局/Gùizhōushěng Zīyìjú) proclaimed independence, they asked to build the Great Han Federal Democratic Republic (大漢聯邦民主共和國 / 大汉联邦民主共和国 /Dàhàn Liánbāng Mínzhǔ Gònghéguó). Prior to January 1912, one semi-official translation of the country's new name used by revolutional Shanghai Military Government (滬軍都督府 / 沪军都督府 / Hùjān Dūdūfǔ) was the United Provinces of China. Sun Yat-sen's title in 1912 was "President of the Provisional Government of the United Provinces of China". Chinese federalists from this period often used "United Provinces" (聯省 / Lián Shěng) instead of "Federation" (聯邦 / Lían bang) or "United States" (合眾國 / Hézhòng Gúo) because "states" suggested a more independent arrangement than "provinces." In other words, they wished to avoid the impression that federalism implied separatism
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
.
Proposals for a federal Chinese state were first advanced in the 1920s, but these proved unpopular. These often used the phrase United Autonomous Provinces (聯省自治 / Liánshĕng Zìzhì) as the name of the intended system. Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
was the center of this movement. The young Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
even advocated the formation of a "Republic of Hunan" during that period. But many intellectuals, including Sun Yat-sen, argued that these proposals would limit the ability of China to fight off external invasion and would legitimize the rule of warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
s.
Communist-era developments
After Chinese Communists established the Chinese Soviet RepublicJiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
in Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, they aimed at a political system modeled after the union republics of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. According to their plans, China was to be a soviet federal republic with several autonomous republics (such as Mongolia, Turkestan, and Tibet) During the period of the Long March
Long March
The Long March was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. There was not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south...
they established a small autonomous
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
republic for Tibetans in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
. In Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, however, they changed their nationality policy, abandoning their plan to establish autonomous republics (as in the Soviet Union) in favor of autonomous regions. The first of these to be created was Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
in 1947.
When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, it was divided into six semi-independent greater administrative area
Greater administrative area
Greater administrative areas were early top-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China that directly governed provinces and municipalities. These were the largest-ever political divisions of China and were controlled by the Central People's Government...
s. The central government was transferred from the People's Government of North China and just controlled northern China and Inner Mongolia. Other greater administrative area
Greater administrative area
Greater administrative areas were early top-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China that directly governed provinces and municipalities. These were the largest-ever political divisions of China and were controlled by the Central People's Government...
s had more autonomy. This autonomy had ended completely by 1954.
More recently, some economists have argued that during the process of Chinese economic reform
Chinese economic reform
The Chinese economic reform refers to the program of economic reforms called "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" in the People's Republic of China that were started in December 1978 by reformists within the Communist Party of China led by Deng Xiaoping.China had one of the world's largest...
that the People's Republic has evolved into a de-facto federal state in which provinces have wide discretion to implement policy goals which are set by the PRC central government and in which provinces and localities actively compete with each other in order to advance economically. According to a 2004 study conducted by Bo Zhiyue, Chair of the Department of International Studies at the St. John Fisher College, provincial authorities have greater institutional power than central institutions. Bo concluded that after the 16th Party Congress, due to personnel transfers between the provinces and the centre, the central authorities emerged more powerful, but was still shy of outpowering the provincial authorities on his power index score.
Charter 08
Charter 08Charter 08
Charter 08 is a manifesto initially signed by over 350 Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists. It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopting name and style from the anti-Soviet Charter 77 issued by dissidents in...
, one of the authors of which is human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
winner Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
, calls for the establishment of a Chinese "Federal Republic". The relevant proposal states:
"A Federated Republic. A democratic China should seek to act as a responsible major power contributing toward peace and development in the Asian Pacific region by approaching others in a spirit of equality and fairness. In Hong Kong and Macao, we should support the freedoms that already exist. With respect to Taiwan, we should declare our commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy and then, negotiating as equals and ready to compromise, seek a formula for peaceful unification. We should approach disputes in the national-minority areas of China with an open mind, seeking ways to find a workable framework within which all ethnic and religious groups can flourish. We should aim ultimately at a federation of democratic communities of China."
As of late 2010, Charter 08 has already been signed by more than 10,000 people both inside and outside China.
"Federal Republic of China"
A Federal Republic of China (中華聯邦共和國 / 中华联邦共和国 / Zhōnghuá Liánbāng Gònghéguó) is a proposed future federal republicFederal republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...
encompassing mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. This "Third Republic" (following on from the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
) is proposed by supporters of the Tibet independence movement
International Tibet Independence Movement
The Tibetan independence movement is a movement for the independence of the lands where Tibetan people live and the political separation of those lands from the People's Republic of China. It is principally led by the Tibetan diaspora in countries like India and the United States, and by...
, although it would not in effect create an independent Tibet. Yan Jiaqi
Yan Jiaqi
Yan Jiaqi 嚴家其 is a Chinese political scientist, now a dissident and federalist.In 1959, he entered the University of Science and Technology of China, and then became the director of the Institute of Political Research of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, where he published several essays and...
, writing for the Tibetan government in exile, has written that:
According to Yan:
"They would differ from the existing federal countries in their defence, taxation and legal systems"
This model, however, in which the close republics would have an arrangement based on the United States of America, and the loose republics more on the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, is not agreed upon by all advocates of a Federal Republic.
"United China" or "United States of China"
Another concept is that of a United China or a United States of China . First devised in the early 1920s by Chen JiongmingChen Jiongming
Chen Jiongming was a revolutionary figure in the early periods of the Republic of China. Chen Jiongming was born in 1878 at Haifeng, Guangdong, China....
, it was modeled closely after the United States of America . Given the political, social and linguistic realities of China in the warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
period, Chen Jiongming believed that a federalist approach was the only feasible way to eventually establish a united, democratic republic
Democratic republic
A democratic republic is a country which is both a republic and a democracy. However, in practice countries which describe themselves as democratic republics do not always hold free or fair elections. An example of this was the German Democratic Republic, a communist state commonly known as East...
. Beginning with Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
as a model state, he wanted to organize a "United States of China in the manner of the American experience" through negotiation with federalists from all parts of the country (New York Times June 27, 1922).
This usage was popularized after Chinese president Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
in 2001 made a comment that a united China can adopt a new national name and flag. Large economic ties between China and Taiwan have also motivated the occasional informal use of the term to describe a united China.
The introduction of Special Economic Zones since the 1980s have led to the development of several distinct regional economies within the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, such as the Pearl River Delta
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...
, Yangtze River Delta
Yangtze River Delta
The Yangtze River Delta, Yangtze Delta or YRD, also called Yangzi, or Chang Jiang Delta, Rive Chang Delta Tai Lake Region or the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze, generally comprises the triangular-shaped territory of Wu-speaking Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of...
, and the Bohai Circle. Several of these regions have economies the size of small developed nations. Some scholars who use the term United States of China argue that during the process of Chinese economic reform
Chinese economic reform
The Chinese economic reform refers to the program of economic reforms called "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" in the People's Republic of China that were started in December 1978 by reformists within the Communist Party of China led by Deng Xiaoping.China had one of the world's largest...
the People's Republic has evolved into a de-facto federal state in which these economic regions have wide discretion to implement policy goals which are set by the PRC central government and in which provinces and localities actively compete with each other in order to advance economically.
"United Republics of China"
Outline of the Post-War New World Map
The Outline of the Post-War New World Map was a map created and self-published by Maurice Gomberg of Philadelphia PA, on February 25, 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the US into World War II...
. Published in Philadelphia in early 1942, this map created by Maurice Gomberg shows a proposal to re-arrange the world after an Allied victory against the Axis forces. In the map the United Republics of China (URC) includes all parts of present-day China, Korea, the erstwhile French colony of Indochina (now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), Thailand and Malaya. Otherwise, North Manchuria and Mongolia belong to USSR; Taiwan and Hainan were the territories of USA.
In 2004, Lin Chong-Pin (林中斌), former deputy Minister of Defense ROC, said that a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
in Beijing or Shanghai gave a proposal for United Republics of China. None of this proposal was known. But in the same years the officials and thinking tanks of PRC often are interested in the history of mainland Tanganyika and archipelago Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania. As Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
has its own president, government, parliament, autonomy, etc. and the president of Zanzibar is the vice-president of Tanzania, it seems to be the example of Deng Xiapoing's
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
"One country, two systems
One country, two systems
"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China , for the reunification of China during the early 1980s...
" in China.
In 2011, Li Yi-hu (李義虎), director of Institute of International Politics, University of Peking, said that Tanzania and Zanzibar, the model of "One country, two constitutions", could be referring to "One China, two constitutions". In February 2011, China Review published an article about the Tanzanian style of Chinese reunification.
See also
- Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China
- Tiao-kuaiTiao-kuaiThe tiao-kuai system, also known as tiáotiáo-kuàikuài to emphasize the plurality, describes the quasi-federal arrangement of administration in the People's Republic of China. The term tiáo refers to the vertical lines of authority over various sector reaching down from the ministries of the...
- ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
- Chinese governmentChinese governmentThe phrase "Chinese government" may refer to:- Contemporary :* Government of the People's Republic of China * Government of the Republic of China - Historical :* Chinese dynasties* Beiyang Government...
- Zhonghua minzuZhonghua minzuZhonghua minzu , usually translated as Chinese ethnic groups or Chinese nationality, refers to the modern notion of a Chinese nationality transcending ethnic divisions, with a central identity for China as a whole...
- Jiangxi Provincial ParliamentJiangxi Provincial ParliamentJiangxi Provincial Parliament was the highest legislature of Jiangxi between 1912 and 1924.Jiangxi Provincial Parliament was created on February 1, 1912, based on Jiangxi Provincial Consultative Bureau...
- Republic of Taiwan