[Orion78]

The Specifics of Perestroika in China

[tet68]

NEP.

[Migraine]

Actually, re: China and change, the more China changes, the more it remains the same. Call it what you want: dynastic, imperial, nationalist, communist, perestroikist -- and you still have the same thing: the elite, the bosses, the bureaucrats, all on the take, a little feudalistic, ON THE ONE HAND, shouting "Jump!", and the masses by the thousands of millions, already in the air, their buckets slung over their shoulders suspended from a stick, asking "How high?", ON THE OTHER.

[Jordi]

China will be more dominant than any nation except America

I wouldn't be so sure.

[Chu Gary]

It's pretty damn interesting that a Japanese writer would be so bullish about China and its future. Here's a question: How many Communist countries have excelled in the business world?

Here's an answer: Zero.

Look at Cuba - a failure. Look at North Korea - a failure and a disaster. Look at Viet Nam - also a failure. Look at Iraq (pseudo Communist) - the avg wage is $3 per month and the people are withering on the vine. And, of course, let's look at China, a country hungry for more, more aid, more territory (e.g. Taiwan, don't forget Tibet), more recognition on the world stage, etc. etc. etc.

China will, INMO, continue to be a failure til it rejects Communism and embraces the idea of a free Republic.

For a great perspective on China, read "White Swan."

[Blackyce]

Time to take the chains off the Japanese military. Reviving the capabilities of the second largest economy on earth would create a perfect balance to the growth in China.

[AdA$tra]

China kicks ass, just ask 'em.

[PhilDragoo]

Even top communists appear to acknowledge and embrace change. Recently, China's head of state, Mr Jiang Zemin, said that the Communist Party 'represents' every good aspect of China, including wealthy capitalists, not just the poor and the proletariat.

Embracing change
Mister Jiang Zemin
postpones first
peaceful transition

[PoorMuttly]

When? Not soon. These birds won't give up their unchallenged rule too easily. They know they lead by manipulating their downtrodden...and power is addictive.

For now...let 'em eat...

cats.

[Hank Rearden]

Yeah, and 15 years ago Japan was destined to rule the world, according to the same forecasters.

We'll see.

[Quix]

BUMP FOR FILES LATER

[hove]

What a pile of crap! China is communist. As long as they are communist , they will a dangerous third rate power. As long as they are under a totalitarian government, they will command zero respect. Now if they embraced a US style Constitution and Bill of Rights.....watch out. They could become a very powerful and respected country.

[Torie]

Unless and until China manages to find away to allocate capital efficiently (it doesn't now, and its banks are all insolvent big time), China's road to becoming a super power will be long one. Still, it will gradually become a more important player, as will India. That is inevitable.

[goldstategop]

The free market in China goes under the official euphemism "socialism with Chinese characteristics." The Chinese Communist Party's embrace of entrepreneurs and getting rich and building a society that can truly feed, clothe and house its people through private initiative sounds truly progressive compared to the Democratic Party's demonization of businesses and the free market here at home. We could learn from the Chinese that the free market has worked everywhere its tried. The more one thinks about what socialism is in China, the more one likes what one sees. Oh if only we could unleash the free market like this right here in the USA!!!

[antidisestablishment]

bump for later read

[Action-America]

Having run my own import/export business, dealing with businesses in Far Eastern countries, until only a couple of years ago, I can tell you something that the above article fails to mention.

Although, Communist China is actually allowing more and more private enterprise, they still have a long way to go, before they understand capitalism.  One thing that importers must do, when dealing with Communist China, is to work through an agent in one of the nearby Asian countries (Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.), who insures that the importer gets what he ordered and takes a commission for his service.  This obviously adds to the cost of the imported product.

But, if you do not go through an agent, instead of getting the 100,000 sky blue widgets that you paid for, you may end up getting 80,000 sky blue widgets and 20,000 baby blue widgets, because they ran out of sky blue dye.  If you try to get the manufacturer to make good on your order, they will just blow you off, saying that all 100,000 widgets that you received were blue and that the difference in color is only slight and not worthy of a refund or replacement and the Communist Chinese government will support them, unless your company is large enough to cause them embarrassment, like Coca-Cola or McDonalds.  They just do not understand that contracts must be adhered to in every respect.

And that's just the beginning.  There are many places where the Communist Chinese fail to understand the most basic principles of capitalism and competition.  That's because they grew up in a country where competition and contracts between companies did not exist.  All companies were controlled by the government.  It will probably take at least another generation or two, before the younger business people in Communist China will be able to accept those basic principles as a requirement for doing successful business.

In the mean time, the low price of their products will be bumped up by the cost of having to go through agents, to check shipments, before any money changes hands.  They cannot become a major force, until a large number of their companies learn these basic principles and that will require that most of the older Chinese businessmen retire.

 

[Selara]

What is the Muslim view of China? Has anyone hear EVER heard a single Muslim leader criticize China?

Surely an atheistic state would be high on the top of their hate lists..but no, their hate lists contain other Muslims, Christians, Jews and western politicians.

I am really asking here...not leading to a conclusion. It has been gnawing at my mind....why is Islam so silent on China...and why is China so silent on Islam?

Foil hats not needed, thank you.

[Charles_Bingley]

a new geopolitical model - the country as corporation

this phrase soounds like warmed over fascism.