Will the China Model Succeed?
Let me direct your attention to a fascinating article concerning some of the big questions about China. First, will the Communist Party continue to enjoy the support of the rapidly growing middle class? And second, will the Chinese system of combining relative economic liberalism with an authoritarian political structure become the dominant model for developing countries worldwide?
These are big questions, and needless to say expert opinion remains divided. Chinese Premier Wen Jiaobao recently stated that the Communist Party would remain in power for the next 100 years, prompting skepticism from many observers. Yet as the article indicates, previous predictions of the Communist Party's imminent demise have all turned out to be incorrect.
In addition, the piece explains just how thoroughly the state involves itself in the daily affairs of ordinary Chinese people. Very few foreigners, I would say, know just how differently the government functions in China than in a liberal Western democracy.
In any case, read the whole thing.
