The place of Confucian ethics in modern China's development: negative aspects

This article discusses the significance of Confucian ethics for China’s development in the late 20th - early 21st centuries. The emphasis is on the negative effects of Confucian ideology on China’s movement towards modernization, the creation of innovative economy. The study highlights the dominance of Confucian ideas in Chinese politics throughout the history of the state, except for the period of the “cultural revolution”. The paper shows the supplementary role of Confucianism in the modern state ideology of China. The influence of Confucian ethics is demonstrated through the combination of three factors: hierarchy and ritualization; negligence of productive labor with priority given to interpersonal relations in the business sector; negative attitude towards the law, predominance of traditional patriarchal morality. In conclusion, the authors determine that Confucian ethics plays a negative role in the development of globalization processes in China. Besides, the article shows the positive potential of Confucianism for the processes of intra-Asian integration.