Rich and Poor

In Meredith's The Elephant and the Dragon, there is a photograph of construction workers in Shanghai eating next to run-down food stalls as the sky scrapers of the big city tower in the background. This stark contrast between the urban elite and those coming in from the rural areas hoping maybe, just maybe, for a life above the poverty line is one of the greatest problems China has to face, and if it does not rectify it, political change may be coming sooner than the government hopes for.

As Meredith mentions, China recognizes that this is a problem, and the government is taking action to bring economic growth to rural areas. They know that so long as the poor feel that economic growth at the cost of freedom is not worth the price, there is always the constant threat of revolt. People like money. People can, perhaps, like money more than they like being able to say what they want at any given time, and to say that everyone in China is secretly hoping for democracy, and that they all think that democracy will lead to a better life... That can't possibly be true. For all its many, many faults, the Chinese government is able to produce general stability, which is more than can be said for other places in the world, and for a country obsessed with holding itself together in all its diversity, that's a powerful thing. But for the poor in rural areas or workers over thirty being denied jobs due to their lack of education during the Maoist era, a change in the system might be looking more attractive as they're being left behind as the rest of China moves forward.

China's communist government consolidated power through the peasantry. In lecture, it was mentioned that perhaps China does not care so much for endearing itself to citizens because it depends far more on foreign investment. However, while economically this may be true, politically China must depend on the well-being of its citizens. People may not always demand having all their political rights, but they will demand the right to survive. If political change is to ever occur in China it will have to come from within China, either through widespread popular dissatisfaction (the sort that even an authoritarian government cannot curb) or an internal breakdown of the communist party. No matter what the West may say, no matter what criticisms they may have, what changes they hope China will make in order to become "better," democracy is, as Meredith writes, not likely to happen in China any time soon. If anything, such a perceived condescending attitude will likely only push the government to, in their pride, cling more tightly to their own way of doing things. However, if the gap between rich and poor continues to grow, and serious dissent is brought about, no matter it's iron grip, the communist party may fall. Whether or not China will choose to put a liberal democracy in place is another question entirely.