Some Thoughts on China’s Future
The world is unipolar but there are really two economies. The one which is managed by the “International Community”: a group of rich countries which have explored, expanded, colonised, converted, enslaved others and enriched themselves; and then there is the rest of the world.
The International Community is a diminishing club led by the United States of America. It boasts of things like democracy and freedom but it’s no secret that the USA, only 247 years old, has been at war a total of 226 of them.
In his recent report to the National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping stressed humanity has a choice now. A choice based on three pillars: common prosperity for all; material, cultural-ethical advancement and harmony between humanity and nature.
Let’s look at these three individually: Common Prosperity. According to their own statisitcs, the USA has the developed world’s largest wealth disparity. In 2016 the richest 5% owned 66% of all American wealth, that number has grown, in early 2022, according to the Fed, the top 1% now own 53.9% and the bottom 90% now only own 32%. I’m no economist but, it’s fairly clear that this situation is getting worse, not better.
In China, just a few years ago, this looked like becoming a similar problem, as China’s share of global wealth grew from 3% to 18%, the gap between rich and poor widened. However, Poverty Alleviation programs lifted 800 million of the poorest from abject poverty into a living wage, or better. The number of middle income earners increased to 69% of the population, approximately 707 million people, that’s double the population of the US, where more people are dropping out of middle class and entering poverty. In other words, there may be an income disparity but it’s a closing disparity as the number of poor people decreases. China’s job now, is to ensure that gap doesn’t widen and all the people of China continue to benefit from economic growth, not just the elite few.
The second pillar is Material, Cultural-ethical Advancement: imagine, if you can, a world built on slavery, wealth built on colonisation. Enslaved people are shipped to other parts of the world or forced to harvest resources for products they can never use. Laws, made by the powerful, keep the weak in line but are ignored by those who made them. This is the world we live in. The “International Community” was built on this colonisation.
The rules have changed but traditions remain. Countries like Venezuela, which are rich in resources are still punished by the “International Community” for not sharing them. Countries with a different ideology such as North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, China and of course the USSR are punished for not changing to emulate the West. Countries like Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, that don’t share the same religion have been destroyed, there are many more sanctioned because they didn’t meet the expectations of the United States.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a wide-sweeping trade initiative designed to provide mutual benefit to a range of countries, it now encompasses over 40% of the global population with over 140 countries and regions signed up. Not one of these countries has been asked to change their ideology, religion or provide an unpaid workforce to the benefit of China. Most are experiencing economic growth and all without the terrible conditions associated with colonisation. This is ethical advancement.
The final pillar is the advancement of harmony between humanity and nature. A lot can be said of a country’s health by looking at its environment and, as the world’s fastest growing economy, largest population and largest manufacturing capacity, it’s hardly surprising that China’s environment went through some difficult times. But, this is changing, China is consistently ahead on it’s targets where renewable energy is concerned and the country has now listed thousands of square kilometres as National Parks. These initiatives are starting to shows positive signs: migratory birds are coming back, snow leopards are increasing in numbers, rare sea mammals and other animals are being seen in greater numbers than a generation ago
Times are changing, the world is moving on but now there is an alternative. All nations can choose:
Work with the world’s fastest growing economy experiencing increasingly improved infrastructure, a modernised, expanding and educated workforce using leading edge technology in communications, aerospace and transportation with a philosophy of mutual benefit for a shared future; or more hegemony. It isn’t a difficult choice.
