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‘Of course, the revolution that began with Deng has not been revolutionary in one important sense: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has maintained its monopoly on political power. Yet the cliché that China has experienced economic reform but not political reform in the years since 1977 obscures an important truth: that political reform, as one Chinese politician told me confidentially in 2002, has “taken place quietly and out of view.”
I wanted to pair that with some traveling on the ground.
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(Q & A starts at about minute 6:20)
This blog is still trying to better understand China. J. MaartenTroost traveled for months around the country, went with the flow, and wrote about his experiences.
The book comes highly recommended.
Some takeaways: China’s undergoing rapid, almost seething, sociological, economic, and some political change. It’s got over a billion people, a huge landmass, and a long history.
Interview with Troost here (via Althouse).
Walter Russell Mead back when Hu Jintao was still in power:.
‘Americans, contemplating our policies in Asia and our ideological approach to Chinese communism, see us as promoting a stable status quo that ought to appeal to the Chinese. President Hu and many Chinese leaders see things very differently: the status quo is a dagger aimed at China’s heart. Our very moderation is a sophisticated form of aggression.’
This is a relationship of mutual economic dependence, potential conflict and strategic complexity. Keep an eye on Asia.
Related On This Site: Kissinger says our relations with China are incredibly fragile, and that due to its own past, it may not fit as easily into the Western models of statecraft as some would think: From The Online WSJ: ‘Henry Kissinger on China. Or Not.’
Obama’s Decision On Missile Defense And A Quote From Robert Kagan’s: ‘The Return Of History And The End Of Dreams’…A Kantian raft?: Daniel Deudney On YouTube Responding to Robert Kagan: Liberal Democracy Vs. Autocracy
From The WSJ-Exclusive: ‘Eric Schmidt Unloads On China In New Book’
From The China Daily Mail: ‘The Cultures Of North Korea And China: Conflict Escalation Explained’
Over a billion people and a culturally homogenous Han core. Rapid industrialization atop an ancient civilization. There is state-sponsored hacking and espionage, a good bit of corruption and a lot of young men floating around fast-growing cities. There are people fighting for their freedoms, better laws, and making their way forward. There is an often lawless, ruthless capitalism (and hefty State involvement and cronyism) and it will take smart leadership to maintain steady growth. Can they do it? TED Via Youtube: Martin Jacques ‘Understanding The Rise Of China’…From Foreign Affairs: ‘The Geography Of Chinese Power’…From Via Media At The American Interest: ‘History Made; Media Blind’…From The New Perspectives Quarterly: Francis Fukuyama’s ‘Is America Ready for a Post-American World?’…