Lección dos de China: Los comunistas consiguen cosas hechas, también
1.3 y 5.000
Por Ernie Tadla
La población de los E.E.U.U. es 300 millones.
La población de China es 1.3 mil millones.
Pare por un momento y considere los trabajos y las responsabilidades respectivos de los E.E.U.U. Presidente George W. Bush y presidente chino Hu Jintao. Los principios del gobierno pueden ser similares, pero los números están escalonando.
La carga de gobernar a 1.3 mil millones personas comparadas a 300 millones se pierde en la mayoría del Westerners que sean rápidos criticar cómo los líderes chinos gobiernan, controlan sí las masas, mientras que consolidan la economía más caliente y más grande de la historia del mundo.
La gente a menudo me pregunta acerca de la corrupción en China.
¿Contesto con una pregunta, “usted tiene corrupción en América?
China tiene todo que los E.E.U.U. , solamente en cantidades más grandes.
Usted hace la matemáticas. En el cociente de la corrupción en nuestro sistema democrático, político 300 millones de personas de y entonces el de China con 1.3 mil millones personas. China tiene 4.3 por la gente, usted podría contar con tan lógicamente 4.3 veces ḿas corrupción.
Algunos amigos chinos precisaron que la democracia es un sistema adversarial que evita que un político elegido trabaje directamente para los mejores intereses de sus componentes y del país. Cuando eligen a los políticos democrático, se parece que su caída de las prioridades esta manera:
1. Para guardar su trabajo y conseguir reelegido.
2. Para probar que el partido de oposición es 100 por ciento siempre incorrectos, incompetentes, de mala calidad, y de untrustworthy.
3. Para satisfacer a los grupos de interés especial y a los cabilderos que financian el partido para mantenerlo energía.
4. Finalmente, entonces, consideran qué pudo ser bueno para el país
It is exciting to watch how the U.S. is approaching the rising profile of China. Traditionally, the bi partisan split is left wing vs. right wing. The left wing, democratic, liberal, right brain spectrum would be more supportive to China. The right wing, Republican, conservative, left brain would be hesitant, yea, resistant accommodating the Red Threat. That is exactly how it is currently being played out. This might, however, be changing.
Enter a new player on the Republican team. Henry Paulson, as U.S. Treasury Secretary and the former chairman of Goldman Sachs, has excellent guanxi with the highest levels of the Chinese government. He made over 70 trips to China as CEO of Goldman Sachs, has paid his dues and earned their trust and respect. When Congress was about to introduce a 27 per cent import tariff on Chinese imports, that vote was delayed. Mr. Paulson has worked hard convincing his Republican buddies on how to do good business with the Chinese. In China, under Confucian influence of respect for hierarchy, consensus, face, and guanxi, a benevolent dictatorship seems to be working. They do have major problems, as every government does:
≺ a restless, impoverished farming population
≺ pollution
≺ a banking and legal system that needs fixing
≺ a full throttle economy that needs cooling off and controlling
China does have its skeletons:
≺ Tibet
≺ Tiananmen Square
≺ Falun Gong
≺ the Cultural Revolution
≺ human rights practices
Of course, they also have personality differences, varying levels of personal ambitions and the polarity of progressive vs. conservative pressures, but not the open divisiveness of partisanship. Even though it is a one-party state, the government is sensitive to the internal murmurings and rumblings of the people, and there are many. They don’t need another grass roots revolution, which is why they came down so hard on Falun Gong cult. The leadership is also sensitive to how the rest of the world sees China. Our markets and resources are important to them and it wants to showcase the New China at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, WTO, etc.
China is rapidly becoming a world superpower. They’re doing it peacefully by building relationships: forging, trusting, win-win, long-term, mutual benefit relationships with other nations.
The richness of their history, traditions, and values is a wonderful strengthening asset for them and helps them handle the amazing growth they’re experiencing. They enjoy a quiet confidence that a people who have been around a long time and experienced everything — ups, downs, power, occupation by foreign powers, revolution. The pressures of sudden, dramatic change are also affecting every part of their culture: generational, governmental, family, business, educational, etc.
When your culture, your history and background are 5,000 years old you have a completely different perception of yourself, your family, your country, of time, of the rest of the world, than if you lived in a country that is 230 years old.
When I arrived in Shanghai, it seemed as if the whole city was under construction. It already had a massive freeway system that matched or surpassed the one in Los Angeles, and a skyline of space age, futuristic, skyscrapers like something from a Star Wars movie. These were preparing for Oct. 1, 1999, the New China’s 50th anniversary.
In my view, there was no way they would all be completed by Oct. 1.
But they were!
There are many reasons for China’s stupendous economic growth. Certainly one of them is that they are a benevolent dictatorship.
When the government decides it wants to do something, it forges ahead, without the complexities of democracy. It doesn’t have to worry about:
≺ the loyal opposition
≺ special interest groups
≺ lobbyists
≺ activists
≺ advocates
≺ protesters
≺ financial contributors
≺ unions
≺ layers of paper and policy.
They just do it!
The Three Gorges Dam Project
The dam, seventeen years in the making, is one of the technological marvels of the world. Two thousand years ago, the Chinese built The Great Wall. The Three Gorges Dam is the modern equivalent of that achievement.
≺ It’s the world’s largest water conservation and flood-control project
≺ It’s the world’s largest hydro-power plant
≺ It allows ocean-going ships to penetrate the heartland of China, opening up its vast resources and markets. Imagine ocean-going ships being able to sail into Chicago or Atlanta.
≺ 2.5 million people are being resettled
≺ 1,599 industrial enterprises, including power, telecommunications, harbors, plants, roads are being relocated
≺ 250,000 workers have been employed on the project
The 2.5 million people being resettled, who were not living in the finest digs, will get a cash settlement, plus two options.
New cities are being built above the new water line and new, free homes will be given to those who stay. Those who don’t want to stay can resettle in the larger cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. The government will supply cash, transportation and new homes there. Older people are choosing to stay in the new cities and towns while younger people are opting for a new beginning in the larger cities.
Next week: Lesson Three of: Eight Lessons I Learned From the Communists
CONFUCIUS SAYS…..
China: godless, but not heathen!
Ernie Tadla, www.odysseychina.net
September 30th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Excellently argued! I am also sick of people talking about China as if they know anything about it. So many people just cry “violation of human rights” without a whittle of understanding of what is really going on and how difficult it is to mobilize a 1.3 billion population.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
A very well articulated presentation of China’s current political and economic path indeed!