1. Not Just a Slogan – A Strategy to Build the Nation
In China, the phrase "let some people get rich first" wasn't a capitalist free pass. It was a national strategy.
Deng Xiaoping said it in the early 1980s:
"Let some people and some regions get rich first, and then help others get rich, so we can achieve common prosperity."
This wasn’t about letting a few people hoard wealth forever. It followed a simple logic:
Get growth started. Reward innovation and risk.
Use the gains to build industry, jobs, and development.
Regulate and redistribute so wealth doesn’t pile up at the top.
At the same time, the U.S. launched "trickle-down economics." Cut taxes for the rich, deregulate everything, and hope that wealth somehow reaches the bottom.
It didn't. And it never was meant to.
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2. Two Roads: State Power or Corporate Capture?
In the U.S.:
Growth is led by corporations and oligarchs.
The market decides how wealth gets distributed.
Corporations shape policy through lobbying, donations, and influence.
The result: oligarchy.
In China:
Growth is guided by government and strategic planning.
The state intervenes to balance inequality.
Corporations follow national policy or face consequences.
The result: a mixed economy with strong public oversight.
In the U.S., wealth flowed into corporations. Those corporations became oligarchs. And now oligarchs write the rules.
In China, wealth is allowed – even encouraged – but never at the expense of state control. No corporation gets to challenge political authority.
3. Implementation: Reality vs Fantasy
U.S.:
Reagan’s tax cuts helped billionaires.
Wages flatlined for 40 years.
Social safety nets were gutted.
Working people waited for a "trickle" that never came.
China:
From 2013 to 2020, China launched the world’s largest targeted poverty campaign.
Over 3 million officials were sent to help rural areas.
Nearly 100 million people escaped extreme poverty.
In 2021, pilot programs like Zhejiang's "common prosperity" shifted resources from rich provinces to poor ones.
One country built a system. The other sold a fantasy.
4. Real Examples: Who Builds, Who Extracts
Alibaba's Common Prosperity Fund
In 2021, Alibaba pledged around $15 billion to fund rural development, digital infrastructure, and small business.
Pinduoduo’s Billion-Dollar Exit
Founder Colin Huang walked away from his company and donated billions toward science and social welfare.
Huawei's Worker Ownership
Huawei isn’t publicly listed. Most shares are owned by employees. Workers grow with the company, not just investors.
These aren’t isolated good deeds. They happen because the government creates pressure, incentives, and boundaries.
In the U.S., corporations donate to charity when it looks good on a press release. In China, corporations are expected to serve the national interest. Or they get checked.
5. Who Really Runs the Show?
In America:
Billionaires fund campaigns, own media, and shape public policy.
Lobbyists outnumber lawmakers.
Super PACs drown out the working class.
Congress works for donors, not voters.
This isn’t democracy. It’s oligarchy in a suit and tie.
In China:
Corporations rise with state support but stay under state discipline.
No tech company or billionaire can overrule the government.
Capital serves national planning, not the other way around.
That’s the core difference. In the U.S., money owns power. In China, power still owns money.
6. Daily Life: One System Lifts, One System Drains
U.S. Factory Worker:
Works overtime just to survive.
Can’t afford healthcare, housing, or college.
Pays more in taxes than billionaires.
Watches politicians dance for corporate donors.
Chinese Entrepreneur:
Builds a small business in manufacturing or tech.
Gets support from local policy to expand.
Reinvests into community development or green energy.
Gains recognition while staying tied to public goals.
One is stuck in survival mode. The other is part of a national project.
7. The Bigger Picture: What's Next?
U.S.:
Wealth gap keeps growing.
Political gridlock blocks reform.
Oligarchs buy both parties.
Rage grows, nothing changes.
China:
Still facing inequality, especially in housing and education.
Risk of new elite classes forming.
But government still has tools and the will to step in.
In the U.S., correction is almost impossible. The oligarchs already own the system. In China, corrections are hard – but still possible.
Final Words:
"Who controls policy, controls wealth. Who controls capital, shapes society."
In the U.S., that control is bought by billionaires. In China, it's still guarded by the state.
Letting some people get rich first only works if the people still control the process.
In America, that promise was sold out. In China, it became a mission.
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