From G & M:
"Communist China: Facing up to modern Mao "
Last week, Communist China turned 65, but the outside world could be forgiven for missing it. The date was overshadowed by protests that have overtaken Hong Kong, where authorities went so far as to cancel the celebratory fireworks. The anniversary nonetheless marks a milestone. For two-thirds of a century now, the revolution that took root under Mao Zedong has flourished, leaving China with a one-party authoritarian rule whose methods have changed greatly over the years, but whose grip on power has not. China today, like China in the years after 1949, rules from the centre, and reacts swiftly and harshly to anyone or anything that could threaten its command. In fact, if China’s 65th anniversary marks anything, perhaps it’s a time for other nations to re-evaluate how they approach a country that plays an increasingly fundamental role in global trade, but maintains an often-repressive political and civil society regime. In recent years, Canada’s unwillingness to offer more than lukewarm opposition to China’s undemocratic practices has brought it criticism. Longtime Hong Kong democracy activist Martin Lee, for example, called the international community, including Canada, “despicable” for not rising up more strongly in defence of Hong Kong’s protesters. China has “all the power. They have all the money. And all the other countries are on their side, too,” he said. “I think it’s shameful.” China, moreover, has consistently defied the efforts of Western nations to seek democratic reforms alongside economic opening – repeatedly refuting the perhaps naive belief that the two would, by some inexorable force, emerge together. It’s a sentiment still shared by some members of the business community, but one increasingly out of touch with the reality in China itself. So what is a nation like Canada to do? The first step might be to acknowledge the futility of the idea that China will march toward a more democratic system as its markets open. “Countries generally seem to feel that they can’t just say this is a big, tough, nasty government, but we have to deal with it,” said James Mann, the author of The China Fantasy, which respected China watcher Bill Bishop has called “the most important and prescient American book on China of the 21st century.”
"Communist China: Facing up to modern Mao "
Last week, Communist China turned 65, but the outside world could be forgiven for missing it. The date was overshadowed by protests that have overtaken Hong Kong, where authorities went so far as to cancel the celebratory fireworks. The anniversary nonetheless marks a milestone. For two-thirds of a century now, the revolution that took root under Mao Zedong has flourished, leaving China with a one-party authoritarian rule whose methods have changed greatly over the years, but whose grip on power has not. China today, like China in the years after 1949, rules from the centre, and reacts swiftly and harshly to anyone or anything that could threaten its command. In fact, if China’s 65th anniversary marks anything, perhaps it’s a time for other nations to re-evaluate how they approach a country that plays an increasingly fundamental role in global trade, but maintains an often-repressive political and civil society regime. In recent years, Canada’s unwillingness to offer more than lukewarm opposition to China’s undemocratic practices has brought it criticism. Longtime Hong Kong democracy activist Martin Lee, for example, called the international community, including Canada, “despicable” for not rising up more strongly in defence of Hong Kong’s protesters. China has “all the power. They have all the money. And all the other countries are on their side, too,” he said. “I think it’s shameful.” China, moreover, has consistently defied the efforts of Western nations to seek democratic reforms alongside economic opening – repeatedly refuting the perhaps naive belief that the two would, by some inexorable force, emerge together. It’s a sentiment still shared by some members of the business community, but one increasingly out of touch with the reality in China itself. So what is a nation like Canada to do? The first step might be to acknowledge the futility of the idea that China will march toward a more democratic system as its markets open. “Countries generally seem to feel that they can’t just say this is a big, tough, nasty government, but we have to deal with it,” said James Mann, the author of The China Fantasy, which respected China watcher Bill Bishop has called “the most important and prescient American book on China of the 21st century.”
Instead, Mr. Mann said, countries offer “narratives that are either off-base or downright fictional” – that is, like saying trade is helping improve human rights.
^ I thought this was going to be about the legacy Mao has within China. It wasn't. ^
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/communist-china-facing-up-to-modern-mao/article21043491/
^ I thought this was going to be about the legacy Mao has within China. It wasn't. ^
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/communist-china-facing-up-to-modern-mao/article21043491/
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