- Orville Schell is Director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society.
This article was received from Project Syndicate, an international not-for-profit association of newspapers dedicated to hosting a global debate on the key issues shaping our world.
By Orville Schell
Orville Schell
BEIJING – China’s government is making massive preparations for a grand National Day parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to celebrate both the 60th anniversary of the PRC’s founding and the 30th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s program of “reform and opening up.” Walking through the square the other evening, I found myself thinking back to when I first began following China’s amazing odyssey. The iconic, Mona Lisa-like visage of Chairman Mao still gazes out from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, but what was happening all around me suggested how much things had changed.
When I first began studying China at Harvard a half-century ago, China’s leaders trumpeted the superiority of their socialist command economy, which controlled every aspect of life. Hostility between the United States and China, however, prevented students like me from actually travelling there.
But in 1975, while Mao still lived, the Cultural Revolution still raged, class politics still held sway, and there were no private cars, shops, advertisements, or private property, I arrived in Beijing. Even we visiting foreigners – all dutifully clad in blue Mao suits and caps – were expected to attend regular political “study sessions” to purify our bourgeois minds with proletarian tracts written by the Gang of Four. That trip set an indelible baseline against which I have since been able to measure all the changes China has undergone.
As Deng Xiaoping began to encourage individual incentives over the next several decades – embodied in such slogans as, “To Get Rich Is Glorious” – I watched with wonder and amazement as China’s private economy began to rise from the ashes of Mao’s revolution. As this process unfolded, it became fashionable for market fundamentalists in the West to bask in a sense of vindication. After all, were the scales not falling away from the eyes of Chinese leaders, and were they not now turning for salvation toward the God of capitalism that they had once so militantly denounced?
This “end-of-history” interlude, when “Communism” was either failing or recycling itself into its opposite, also encouraged many latter-day American political missionaries to proselytize for democracy as well as capitalism – to urge China’s leaders to abandon state controls not only over their economy, but over their political system as well.
Of course, China’s leaders vigorously resisted that evangelism, especially after the collapse of communism in Europe in 1989, often berating the West for “intruding in the internal affairs of China” and clinging even more defiantly to their Leninist, one-party form of governance. As the imbalance between China’s ever more dynamic, modern, and globalized economy and its opaque, single-party system of political rule deepened, many Western specialists predicted that the contradiction would inevitably trip China up. Instead, it was America and the West that went into an economic tailspin.
When, after the eight catastrophic years of George W. Bush’s presidency, Barack Obama entered the White House, it seemed for a moment as if America might be able to arrest its downward slide. But then an unwelcome thing happened. Obama ran right into a perfect storm of the worst aspects of American democracy: red-state provincialism and ignorance, fearful conservatism, Republican Party obstructionism and even some Democratic Party dissidence.
The US Congress became paralyzed by partisan politics. Seemingly lacking a central nervous system, it has become a dysfunctional creature with little capacity to recognize any common national, much less international, interest. Under such circumstances, even a brilliant leader, with an able staff and promising policies, will be unable to pursue his agenda.
As governments across the West have become increasingly bogged down trying to fix a broken economy, China has been formulating a whole series of new, well-considered policies and forging ahead with bold decision-making to tackle one daunting problem after another. Triumphant from the 2008 Olympic Games, its leaders have undertaken the most impressive infrastructure programme in history, implemented a highly successful economic stimulus package, and now are moving into the forefront of green technology, renewable energy, and energy efficiency – the activities out of which the new global economy is certain to grow.
In short, China is veritably humming with energy, money, plans, leadership, and forward motion, while the West seems paralyzed.
As I strolled through Tiananmen Square, the paradox that struck me was that the very system of democratic capitalism that the West has so ardently believed in and advocated now seems to be failing us. At the same time, the kind of authoritarianism and state-managed economics that we have long impugned now seems to be serving China well.
It is intellectually and politically unsettling to realize that, if the West cannot quickly straighten out its systems of government, only politically un-reformed states like China will be able to make the decisions that a nation needs to survive in today’s high-speed, high-tech, increasingly globalized world.
A very enlightening article but a very important piece has been left out. The Chinese people after being cut off by the west began a cultural revolution with what resources they had and the first priority was to become self sufficient and feed their millions of people.
The Chinese then began to build their own machinery and engines of industry. At first all Chinese machinery had that boxy clunky look like our very own Tapir vehicles. (What ever happened to the Tapir, by the way) They then “stole” western technology and ideas, modified them and became more ergonomically creative in their designs.They did not follow the western recommended development phylosophy of encouraging foreign investors, talent and skills.
I do not share the same view as implied in the following analysis of what is now happening in the USA “When, after the eight catastrophic years of George W. Bush’s presidency, Barack Obama entered the White House, it seemed for a moment as if America might be able to arrest its downward slide. But then an unwelcome thing happened. Obama ran right into a perfect storm of the worst aspects of American democracy: red-state provincialism and ignorance, fearful conservatism, Republican Party obstructionism and even some Democratic Party dissidence”
Of course the Republican Party is now trying to ride on the band wagon of the peoples protest as though they are the peoples choice and are behind the peoples present struggles, but this protest is not about Democrats or Republicans. The people realize that their freedoms and their constitution has been shredded and flushed down the toilet by both parties and they want their country back.
The present president is a brilliant man, but that is nothing unusual, all world presidents are brilliant people, except of course George Bush. His equally brilliant team is another story. Look at the make up, in what other country can you find that a group that makes up 3% of the population so dominate the halls of power.
Let us look at Guyana for instance, let us assume that a new government comes into power and the new president is black or indian (it does not matter). He then appoints a majority Chinese group in all the key positions, not only that he selects all those that have dual citizenship.
Would that go unnoticed, and should the people who begin to ask questions about the makeup, be called racists or anti Asian?
Well if you live in the USA and raise the same questions about the encumbents that is exactly what some politicians and their news media will label you as.
Look at the list of the people who now run the government and you decide what this is all about.
http://zsidozas.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/obamas-jewschange-we-cant-believe-in/
Joe.
I found the Orville Schell Report (SN Sept. 26. 2009) on “China’s short March” very well focused on the economics of the PRC. He wrote,
“In short, China is veritably humming with energy, money, plans, leadership, and forward motion, while the West seems paralyzed.
As I strolled through Tiananmen Square, the paradox that struck me was that the very system of democratic capitalism that the West has so ardently believed in and advocated now seems to be failing us. At the same time, the kind of authoritarianism and state-managed economics that we have long impugned now seems to be serving China well.”
Yes indeed the country has made strides beyond the skeptics wildest dreams. I too did a little monitoring of my own since 1980s while I worked as Trade Intelligence Officer at Ministry of Trade, where I sought to set up a Research Library.
What Schnell did no highlight is the fact that the Chinese Private Sector Business got the biggest boost from the very authoritarian regime which took over the country. The Economist Magazine of the period carried details of the Government’s Move.
However, for the reader let me state that during the seventies the Chinese “Capitalists” were already seeing the openness of the Regime to Private enterprise. Former notable Bankers/business men were actually invited by the Chinese Government and given US$250,000 to re-enter into business.
This was the kickoff to the Chinese Economy which set the stage to catapult the nation into the most envious position with its highest Foreign Reserves. With the boost to Private enterprise, came the drive for the world markets. Strange but true the USA ended up being the biggest importer from the PRC. China did help to bail out faltering economies with the world wide economic meltdown.
But Private Enterprise was not the single factor which fuelled the drive of the Chinese to lead the way. The State machinery was so set up to monitor the performance of Private enterprise, that there were no rooms for failures. Discipline and control is definitely the watchwords in the Chinese performance ratings. We all learn how lack of this with its runaway Greed evaded the real Capitalist world resulting in the worldwide meltdown.
There is yet another factor which undoubtedly fed the mills in Chinese production lines. This is the age old Buddhist Philosophy which Political Scientists are apt to overlook in the equations in their analyses. The people philosophy is not totally Maoist or Leninist. While the new Communist ideology came with the Maoist Revolution, the Buddhist Philosophy had shaped the psyche of the people. This bred a work culture parallel to none.
Chinese do have family planning of one child to a couple. This obviously has its advantages and disadvantages with the China population already over the 3 Billion marks. However, for the economy it is an advantage since there is less demand for maternity leave or baby sitting.
I visited China in 2006 seeing the strides made in Hong Kong with the British long occupation and after. There the Free Market System had not only taken roots, but Hong Kong with a plethora of Investment Bankers and Financial Wizards, had created a model for most of the Capitalist World. I took in two sides of China on my visit.
My next stop was the beautiful Xiamen Island which is under Communist control. Touring Xiamen was as exhilarating as visiting any Caribbean Island in the sun. I was very impressed with the University as my very young and able interpreter showed me around the Island. All Chinese have access to a University Education at the Xiamen University. My interpreter was a MA student in English (Interpretation).
What became quite revealing to my visitor’s eye was the number of Chinese who pursue leisure on weekends. By Friday afternoon as we crossed with Ferry to the neighboring Goulangoo Island was already teeming with Chinese around lunch time. What was quite a spectacle was that almost everyone I saw was carrying Flowers and incense in their hands to place before the huge Image of Buddha.
Are Chinese Religious? I had my answer as I stood and videoed (not usually allowed) a stream of Buddhist Monks exiting the central Temple. Yes the Chinese Psyche was formed by the Buddhist Philosophy-hard work, small families and dedication to homeland.