The world is really changing at an amazing pace, but lead not just this century by United States, but just as much by China. It was projected that China would economically pass the United States by more than double in 2050, which is some ways off, but not past many of our lifetimes. Now it's just 2020 due to the recent world economic issues, of which China has been largely immune from.
China is both geographically and demographically huge and has been growing steadily for the past several decades. Never in modern civilization's history has a developing country passed a developed country economically, but China is set for that record. It also means that China will also become not just a developed country, but the very leading country in the world in the next couple of decades.
What the world needs to realize is that China is different than the west by measures most of us don't quite grasp yet. For starters, we should understand that many developing countries are not necessarily going to westernize upon becoming developed. We have this mentality that "civilization" equals fast cars and huge homes. This is not entirely going to be the case for China. It will remain in fundamental respects, very different than any country outside the Asian sphere of cultural influence.
It's probably a good idea to understand what China really is then, how it arrived at its current existence, and also how it's going to change itself and the world in the decades to come. First, we assume that China is nation state, much like the United States with it's 50 states. This is a misconception. China is a "civilization state", a term coined by Martin Jacques, which comes from the binding of the Chinese behind the Han dynasty and the absolutism of the family.
Chinese care more for the whole than for the person. This is what has kept China, a huge country the size of the United States, together for over two thousand years... the absolute authority of the family and belief that all Chinese are of one race. The head of the family itself is not the parents of a child, nor of the grandparents, but the government. You can maybe see why Chinese have an absolutist approach toward Tibetans and Taiwan for instance.
China is also a single country with two systems. I emphasize the point by focusing on Hong Kong, handed over to the Chinese in 1997. A decade before that, no one believed that it a handover of such magnitude was possible. How did the world miscalculate such a significant transition? It's because China operates on the one nation, one system mentality. Hong Kong is by default a part of China, and in the near future, Taiwan will be the same, at least if they have their way.
Why is China so much different in respect to the government than the west, primarily the United States? It partly has to do with isolation. The United States was founded on refugees escaping from a religiously fanatical Europe of the time, persecuting anyone who thought differently or was different than the mainstream. Struggling to survive, skepticism and defense of ones person trumped the respect and integrity that a government, at its best, can provide.
China is different. They don't see the state like that at all. They view the state as I mentioned earlier, as a major member of the family. This has largely what's helped to keep China together, and what will keep it together for the next several decades. This is both something perhaps that the west doesn't entirely understand and will soon see in emphasis as China becomes the new super power of the world, near 2020.
This view of China can sound scary to many. It's a view that China is somehow a selfish and even immoral being because it prides and respects itself not on the person, but on the whole. I've been to China, taught in a Chinese school for a year, so I have a unique perspective than most might have to what they here on CNN or search through Google.
The world is really changing at an amazing pace, but lead not just this century by United States, but just as much by China. It was projected that China would economically pass the United States by more than double in 2050, which is some ways off, but not past many of our lifetimes. Now it's just 2020 due to the recent world economic issues, of which China has been largely immune from.
China is both geographically and demographically huge and has been growing steadily for the past several decades. Never in modern civilization's history has a developing country passed a developed country economically, but China is set for that record. It also means that China will also become not just a developed country, but the very leading country in the world in the next couple of decades.
What the world needs to realize is that China is different than the west by measures most of us don't quite grasp yet. For starters, we should understand that many developing countries are not necessarily going to westernize upon becoming developed. We have this mentality that "civilization" equals fast cars and huge homes. This is not entirely going to be the case for China. It will remain in fundamental respects, very different than any country outside the Asian sphere of cultural influence.
It's probably a good idea to understand what China really is then, how it arrived at its current existence, and also how it's going to change itself and the world in the decades to come. First, we assume that China is nation state, much like the United States with it's 50 states. This is a misconception. China is a "civilization state", which comes from the binding of the Chinese behind the Han dynasty and the absolutism of the family.
Chinese care more for the whole than for the person. This is what has kept China, a huge country the size of the United States, together for over two thousand years... the absolute authority of the family and belief that all Chinese are of one race. The head of the family itself is not the parents of a child, nor of the grandparents, but the government. You can maybe see why Chinese have an absolutist approach toward Tibetans and Taiwan for instance.
China is also a single country with two systems. I emphasize the point by focusing on Hong Kong, handed over to the Chinese in 1997. A decade before that, no one believed that it a handover of such magnitude was possible. How did the world miscalculate such a significant transition? It's because China operates on the one nation, one system mentality. Hong Kong is by default a part of China, and in the near future, Taiwan will be the same, at least if they have their way.
Why is China so much different in respect to the government than the west, primarily the United States? It partly has to do with isolation. The United States was founded on refugees escaping from a religiously fanatical Europe of the time, persecuting anyone who thought differently or was different than the mainstream. Struggling to survive, skepticism and defense of ones person trumped the respect and integrity that a government, at its best, can provide.
China is different. They don't see the state like that at all. They view the state as I mentioned earlier, as a major member of the family. This has largely what's helped to keep China together, and what will keep it together for the next several decades. This is both something perhaps that the west doesn't entirely understand and will soon see in emphasis as China becomes the new super power of the world, near 2020.
This view of China can sound scary to many. It's a view that China is somehow a selfish and even immoral being because it prides and respects itself not on the person, but on the whole. I've been to China, taught in a Chinese school for a year, so I have a unique perspective than most might have to what they here on CNN or search through Google.
While there are rightful concerns, I honestly feel that our planet and civilization will require a country like China to prosper through the technological 21st century. China isn't entirely the monster many see from a new power. In fact, te need of a country like China doesn't necessarily spell doom for our way of life, but all around benefits. And as powerful as China is set to become, and is already, they are not without problems either. Far from it.
"India and China are entering the world's economic market. It's the most significant event to hit our economy in decades if not centuries. Think of it--half the population of the world, suddenly wanting to buy." - Cliff Brewis
"India and China are entering the world's economic market. It's the most significant event to hit our economy in decades if not centuries. Think of it--half the population of the world, suddenly wanting to buy." - Cliff Brewis
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