Wal-Mart's Long March
The closing paragraphs of The Communist Manifesto pull no punches: "Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions." Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels might be surprised to find their political heirs in China believe that teaming up with Wal-Mart is the way for the workers of that land to unite and throw off their chains.
The Chinese Communist party is sticking to orthodoxy by setting up a party branch at one of the US retail giant's stores in China. Wal-Mart, however, has made a big contribution to overthrowing the existing economic order. Its supply-chain management has accelerated the shift in manufacturing consumer goods from advanced economies to countries such as China. And the working people who are its customers in the US and elsewhere have enjoyed soaring living standards as goods once enjoyed only by the well-off have plunged to affordable prices.
The new partnership between the Chinese Communist party and the Bentonville behemoth recognises a convergence of interests. China's rapidly urbanising people have become better off thanks to the country becoming the workshop of the capitalist world. Now Wal-Mart can cash in by extending its outlets in this fast-growing market while letting the ruling party keep tabs on what is happening at the checkout.
The alliance is not risk-free for the two parties, however. If either becomes unpopular - as Wal-Mart has in parts of the US and communist parties have almost everywhere outside China - the reputation of the other could take a hit. As the Chinese proverb says: "Once on a tiger's back, it is hard to alight."
沃尔玛的“党支部”
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共产党宣言》(The Communist Manifesto)在结尾的段落直言：“共产党人不屑于隐瞒自己的观点和意图。他们公开宣布：他们的目的只有用暴力推翻全部现存的社会制度才能达到。”卡尔?马克思(Karl Marx)和弗里德里希?恩格斯(Friedrich Engels)也许会惊讶地发现，他们在中国的传人认为，与沃尔玛合作是当地工人团结起来、挣脱枷锁的方式。
中国共产党在这家美国零售业巨头的一家中国分店建立了党支部，以此来坚持正统做法。然而，沃尔玛已为颠覆现有经济秩序做出了巨大贡献。该公司的供应链管理，加速了消费产品制造从发达经济体向中国等国家的转移。而美国和其它国家劳动人民作为沃尔玛的顾客，生活水平得到了大幅提升，因为那些以往只有富人才能享受的产品，其价格已降低至可以承受的水平。
中国共产党与这家美国零售业巨头之间崭新的合作关系，显示出双方利益的融合。随着中国成为资本主义世界的工厂，快步走向城市化的中国人已经变得更加富裕。如今，沃尔玛通过在这个迅速增长的市场增设门店而获得利益，但同时要让执政的共产党随时了解企业内部的情况。
不过，这种联盟对于双方而言也不是没有风险。如果其中一方变得不受欢迎，可能损及另一方的声誉――对于沃尔玛而言，这种情况出现在美国部分地区，而就共产党而言，这种情况在中国以外的几乎所有地方都已出现。正如中国成语所言：“骑虎难下”。
