Two current events have served to reinforce China's incredible development as well as boost its people's self-confidence.

- 10 / 10 / 2008 11:17

 Mehmet Ali Birand

They no longer identify themselves with the hundreds of thousands of poor masses. For the first time in years, they have begun to realize that China is a great country, on par with Russia and America. 

  The first event that made the Chinese so proud was the impeccable organization of the Olympic Games. The second one happened when the first Chinese astronaut walked in space. They will install their first space station in 2015, and in 2020, they will put the first Chinese on the moon. Thus, China will follow the US and Russia as the third power in space.

  If you also travel to Shanghai after Beijing, you will become aware of the giant steps China takes toward further development. I will not attempt to tell you how fabulous both Shanghai and Beijing are. As I said before, you have to see them to understand it. China's successful juxtaposition of the single-party authoritarian regime and liberal economy at this fast pace is taking it to a point where it will be able to change world balances with ease.

  In fact, it does not take a second look to affirm that China's position will be fortified with much greater speed if America also fails to emerge intact from the latest economic earthquake after reaching the end of its term as the ‘world's gendarme' due to its occupation of Iraq.

  As for Europe, it does not even figure in these gigantic calculations.

  Within a period of 40 to 50 years, it is the Far East that will be shaping the world and not Europe or America, and the rising countries in terms of value will be China, India, Russia and Japan...

  Since the beginning of this week, I have been telling you about my impressions of China and my great surprise in the face of its grand economic boom. I have praised China to the sky.

  Please don't misunderstand me, though. There is another face to China, which has nothing to do with the few large cities I have told you about. While the per capita income in Beijing, Shanghai and Honk Kong rises to $20 thousand, it falls way down to $ 1700 in other parts of the country.

  As you see, China is full of such contradictions and distortions. The moment it manages to settle those issues, it will become unstoppable.

The other side of the coin 

  Not everything is perfect or sparkling clean in China. It is not at all easy to organize a population of 1.5 billion and to govern it through central planning. It is both an achievement and a problem for China to successfully carry out a system in a country inhabited by people of 56 different nationalities speaking 60 different dialects and divided into provinces equipped with almost autonomous powers.

  As you go deeper into the country, you are introduced to the real or non-industrial China. That is when you realize the enormous difficulties that confront this country and the tremendous amount of time and resources required to improve the poor part of China.

  In order to complete this process without problems, China has based all its policies on ‘getting along with America.'

  Its money is pegged to the dollar. Its entire economy is directed at America. Therefore, it is now watching the latest financial earthquake with its heart in its mouth. It is almost praying for this crisis to end as soon as possible. Not a day goes by when the Chinese leaders do not reconfirm their confidence in the USD. That is not all, either. They use their own resources to save or to buy bankrupt American companies. It is all very interesting.

  China has even reduced its armament policies to the lowest possible level only in order to avoid disturbing America or causing a misunderstanding.

  Beijing is most careful not to give cause to the ‘Chinese danger' propaganda in any way. Realizing that such a possibility would have an adverse effect on their economic development, the Chinese limit their muscle display to a well-defined framework.

  There is no doubt that, tomorrow, we shall be facing a completely different China as soon as it irons out its domestic contradictions and distortions and spreads its economic development to the whole country.

  (The translation of M.A.Birand's column was provided by Nuran İnanç. (nuraninanc@gmail.com)