We might as well ask, are they communists?

The Communist Party of China (CPC) owes its foundation and consolidation to China’s alliance with Russia after WWI, but it has changed so much since then that, except for the repressive features of a one-party State, it would be hard to call it communism in the Russian sense.

Like all communist states, China’s emerged out of nationalist sentiments provoked by imperialist policies. We know the story of the Russian revolution of 1917 (although the roots can be traced back to 1905) against Tsar Nicholas II, head of the Romanov family. The triumph of the “Reds” or Bolsheviks opened the door to other populist groups around the world who thought it was about time to put an end to the social disparities caused by a simple man (or woman), allegedly chosen by god in the form of king, emperor, or tsar.

By the end of WWI (1918) Chinese nationalism reacted against what they saw as docile reaction of their government by allowing Japan to hold territories in the Shandong province. The social uprising was quenched but the damaged was already done and those same nationalist would come back and with a vengeance. The Russians saw the chance to gain an ally in China and sent its agents to finance China’s insipient communist movement.

The party was officially founded in 1921, but it was a rather informal and inarticulate group with a few members. The next year it was absorbed by the KMT (Chinese Nationalist Party), which was already consolidated and that merge would allow members to focus their strength instead of dividing forces, which eventually happened. From the beginning there were conservative and progressive or liberal-minded members who saw the future of China in different terms. One group saw it as anti-imperialist, the other as moderate nationalists who may eventually incorporate imperialist economic policies into their philosophy, which ended up happening.

The decade of 1927 to 37 saw Chinese people fighting a civil war to define their ideology. Mao Zedong emerged as leader during this period and after the defeat of the communist against Chiang Kai-shek’s forces. After WWII and the defeat of Japan, Chinese Civil War resumed and this time Mao emerged victorious and founded the People’s Republic of China (1949). The Americans supported Chiang Kai-shek, who ended up ruling Taiwan, while the Russians supported Mao.

The kind of communism Mao implemented in china was different from the one Lenin implemented in Russia. From class struggles to cultural revolutions, China moved from Mao’s communism to Deng Xiaoping’s Chinese socialism. Deng implemented reforms that allowed socialist policies and market economy to co-exist (something Latin American countries were unable to learn or imitate, maybe because it was in their allies’ best interest—Russia and China—that they ruined themselves first so that the big brothers would rescue them, and basically own them).

Jiang Zemin furthered the reforms and saw the return of Hong Kong from British rule. China opened to the world economically while still being a political, social, and ideological dictatorship. Later, Hu Jintao would lead China into more economic prosperity with some social improvements, at the expense of any hint of dissidence or social disturbance. At least Hu was a technocrat who could not care less about power or personal notoriety. He retired voluntarily and allowed current president Xi Jinping. Xi’s administration continues previous policies of commercial opening to the world, while keeping close control on social matters.

Chinese leaders have found the magic formula to allow the world to ignore their social iron fist as long as they play along the international trade game. Chinese economy is so strong people joke about their owning most of the world, and yet you won’t see them bragging a la Chavez or a la Trump. Chinese communism looks now more like savage neo-imperial capitalism. Their philosophy to accumulate military and economic power allows them to transact alliances with the most corrupt regimes, such as Venezuela’s or Syria’s while dealing with Americans, French or Russians on equal grounds.