Elias Jabbour Rebate Demétrio Magnoli on China: “Besteemal in Series”

China’s political and economic system is still one of the favorite targets of right -wing, who try to sell themselves as neutral and technical analysts. Even amid the irresponsible tariff war imposed by Donald Trump – in which the Asian country has been noted by a haughty stance – China becomes a kind of guilty by the delusions of the republican extremist leader.

Example of this obsession is the columnist of S.Paulo FolhaDemetrius Magnoli. In an article published on Friday (18), he criticizes the fact that China represents 19% of global GDP, but accounts for 32% of world industrial production. “The imbalance, whose implications contributed to Trump’s rise, is not sustainable.”

Also read: China calls UN to denounce Trump and isolate US fees

Among other points, he also condemns the exporting model of China, which, according to him, “anchors to excess domestic savings-or, otherwise, in repressed internal consumption.” And it adds that “the secret rests on the totalitarian political system, which maintains low wages, vetoes social welfare policies and refuses to erect a decent social security system.”

Problem with the truth?

Elias Jabbour, a geographer and professor at the Faculty of Economics of UERJ and one of the authors of the book “China, 21st century socialism,” decided to respond to this Cantilena. Through social networks, he pointed out that the writer replaces “a serial beastly, repeated by the far-right trumpker and the” radical “left.

As a counterpoint to his arguments, Jabbour recalls that the Chinese “export model”, which represented 18.9% of world GDP in 2024, had investments corresponded to 41.3% of GDP in 2023.

In this sense, about such “excess domestic savings”, he points out that Magnoli “thinks people first save, then work” and “forget that savings is a function of income and, in turn, investment”. The complete geographer mocking: “With an investment rate over 40% in the last 25 years, the savings rate should be… low? In that case, the tail does not shake the dog”.

Also read: China surprises with solid growth in the first quarter

Regarding such “repressed internal consumption”, he points out that the columnist is “from the class that works as a zero -summed game between consumption and investment; this is worse than earthlanism”. He points out that between 1996 and 2021, “the average growth of private consumption in China was 9% and between 2008 and 2021 was 8%, while for both periods,“ the US had 2.4% and 1.7% and the OECD 2% and 1.4% ”, respectively.

Regarding the alleged “totalitarian political system”, the teacher pinning, indirectly comparing countries like the US: “In a thin irony, we can say that in China there is no democracy that allows one or two wings of a billionaire caste to control the country. A dystopia, right?”.

Another point coupled with Jabbour concerns “low wages”: “Salaries in China grew between 2014 and 2023, about 170%. That is, above GDP growth, inflation and work productivity. In the rest of the world, stagnation”.

As to the argument that China “vetoes social welfare policies and decent social security system”, recalls that “a welfare state It does not fall from heaven and it is not a pure and simple political choice. It also demands objective conditions. In any comparison on growth/decrease in social investments, pensions, medical coverage, etc., in China there is a growing curve, while in the rest of the world, descendant. ”

Finally, he asks, “What’s the problem with the truth?”