Previously I commented on how the Chinese see (and are led to see) hope for the future, particularly compared to their rather miserable recent past, as a reason why there is no real threat for social stability in China compared to what has been happening in the Middle East. Now, despite the hundreds of thousands of minor protest a year, and a paranoid government that takes rather extreme preventative measures to maintain social stability, this still holds true.
If there were a protest, it would likely focus on a short-term problem which could either be solved, promised to be solved, or ignored. It is unlikely to turn into a wider movement against the government itself - and in the issue of corruption, the government continues to happily get rid of the guilty, or create fall guys if necessary, and make sure the public know the government is doing its utmost at all times. In general, then, there is not so much to fear.
However, when one considers the issue of relativity (and I am not talking about Einstein's theory here), then it's possible to reconsider this. Because ultimately human nature is selfish, and yes, we like to think we have hope and our lives will get better, but if we see other people's lives getting better faster than ours, without considering that they deserve that, then we might think that the hope we see is not enough. That we deserve more, and that someone else deserves less. There is of course the perception and reality of endemic corruption that is mostly small-scale but which still allows society to function (and maybe even more efficiently than if there was no corruption).
Recently an internal government report was mistakenly released online that revealed that:
"more than 10,000 corrupt Chinese officials collectively spirited £80 billion out of the country in a 15-year spree of embezzlement, bribes and defections" and "The research, with revelations of corruption that are breathtaking even by Chinese standards, estimates that between 16,000 and 18,000 officials may have fled the country with monumental hoards of ill-gotten money between the mid-1990s and 2008".
That is pretty incredible. Clearly the government is aware of the problem of corruption and is sort of dealing with it, slowly... just as rural incomes are slowly increasing. But as rural incomes increase, urban incomes are increasing faster and the gap continues to grow. Meanwhile more and more Chinese are flaunting their wealth. So far there has been minimal crime in China, and limited attention in the media that might make regular people feel like they are owed better. But it could change and if there is not more progress soon on ensuring that the people think that those who are successful deserve it then it just might change.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
2 months to go and reflections on earlier "upheavals"
So, with most people aware of the news, Andrea and I have (with a lot of help of family at home) start working out the details for the wedding. Progress has been smooth and things are on track. In fact as I write this Andrea has just bought her wedding dress at a market in Beijing that does wholesale wedding dresses. So at least this is one benefit of living in China and getting married in London - the ability to buy a quality wedding dress insanely cheaply (although I heard plenty of rumblings by SMS about there being too many big fluffy wedding dresses to choose from and not enough of the style Andrea was looking for, whatever that may be).
A lot of other things have happened in the last month. The football season has ended, giving a few months respite from late nights watching games online although with Spurs qualifying for Europe once again, come September the late 3am mid-week games will start again. The weather has now truly settled into Summer with 30 degree weather every day (dropping to about 20 at night) and the occasional rain storm. About 1 in every 2 days is bright blue skies (the others can often be muggy from pollution of varying levels) and where we live looks beautiful with water in the lake, kids playing in the playground, and the trees bright green. It makes Beijing a wonderful place to live and especially to cycle around at weekends. At lunchtime we can sit in one of the many restaurants close to work in the Central Park complex that is also green with outdoor seating which is a nice change from the office.
On another note, there have been several personnel changes at work which means new colleagues to get to know and work with, a promotion, and the end of one project (that was looking at labor issues in manufacturing suppliers in Beijing). Other projects have started, BSR's annual report has come out (so if you are still unsure as to what BSR actually does, have a read on www.bsr.org/report).
A few months ago I meant to write about the difference between China and the Middle East in regards the upheavals happening. Alas, I never put pen to paper (so to speak) and plenty has been written by others since there were vague attempts to foster some upheavals here too. Of course, nothing is likely to change when, fundamentally, a large majority of the country, and especially those with power and/or in the cities, see their country making progress and see a brighter future ahead of them. Of course, some of this is true and some of it is inspired by a government-controlled media which is not like North Korea but certainly is much more optimistic about the country than, say the British media is about Britain! The stories of those suffering under a legal system that is not independent or a series of laws that are ill-defined or a lack of implementation of a constitution that does provide for certain rights and freedoms tend to not get mentioned so much (and there are lots of them) whilst the government tries to balance out the good news with selected bad news that supports the belief that the country is well run. So, since everyone knows there is lots of corruption, the government makes sure to punish some people every now and again, as it does some industrial polluters or criminals. And there is some real innovation, with local police forces using Chinese Twitter to engage the public and report on the results of incidents investigated and so on. So change continues... at a pace that continues to be at just the right speed to keep things changing enough without things changing too much.
There is no major threat to the Communist party or the government and as soon as there is a tiny hint of one it is removed forcefully. This is a shame. One of the many ironies of this country is that the government does not trust its own people and does not want to them to think or to express themselves or to find solutions to problems. They want them to trust that the government has all the solutions and is working on the many problems China faces (as expressed in detail in the latest five-year plan). The government is inherently suspicious of anything it does not trust, cannot understand, or is unable to control. So are most governments, yet some of these things offer meaningful and worthwhile alternatives that need to be explored. And some here are. But a very few, and nothing dramatic. But, there is more happening that before. The bureaucrats are smart, many are educated overseas, and they recognize the incredible changes taking place and the incredible environmental, social, economic, cultural and other changes taking place that need to be addressed. Behind the scenes, pilots and plans to iterate continue and it is very interesting to experience this firsthand living here, and of course, working in the field of sustainable development, philanthropy, responsible business practices and the entire ecosystem around this.
So there are a just a few thoughts. I had to say something at some point and now, finally, I have. Much more to say, but this is a start. Meanwhile, flights are booked now: so from 15th July-16th August I'll be in the UK (or Germany)!
A lot of other things have happened in the last month. The football season has ended, giving a few months respite from late nights watching games online although with Spurs qualifying for Europe once again, come September the late 3am mid-week games will start again. The weather has now truly settled into Summer with 30 degree weather every day (dropping to about 20 at night) and the occasional rain storm. About 1 in every 2 days is bright blue skies (the others can often be muggy from pollution of varying levels) and where we live looks beautiful with water in the lake, kids playing in the playground, and the trees bright green. It makes Beijing a wonderful place to live and especially to cycle around at weekends. At lunchtime we can sit in one of the many restaurants close to work in the Central Park complex that is also green with outdoor seating which is a nice change from the office.
On another note, there have been several personnel changes at work which means new colleagues to get to know and work with, a promotion, and the end of one project (that was looking at labor issues in manufacturing suppliers in Beijing). Other projects have started, BSR's annual report has come out (so if you are still unsure as to what BSR actually does, have a read on www.bsr.org/report).
A few months ago I meant to write about the difference between China and the Middle East in regards the upheavals happening. Alas, I never put pen to paper (so to speak) and plenty has been written by others since there were vague attempts to foster some upheavals here too. Of course, nothing is likely to change when, fundamentally, a large majority of the country, and especially those with power and/or in the cities, see their country making progress and see a brighter future ahead of them. Of course, some of this is true and some of it is inspired by a government-controlled media which is not like North Korea but certainly is much more optimistic about the country than, say the British media is about Britain! The stories of those suffering under a legal system that is not independent or a series of laws that are ill-defined or a lack of implementation of a constitution that does provide for certain rights and freedoms tend to not get mentioned so much (and there are lots of them) whilst the government tries to balance out the good news with selected bad news that supports the belief that the country is well run. So, since everyone knows there is lots of corruption, the government makes sure to punish some people every now and again, as it does some industrial polluters or criminals. And there is some real innovation, with local police forces using Chinese Twitter to engage the public and report on the results of incidents investigated and so on. So change continues... at a pace that continues to be at just the right speed to keep things changing enough without things changing too much.
There is no major threat to the Communist party or the government and as soon as there is a tiny hint of one it is removed forcefully. This is a shame. One of the many ironies of this country is that the government does not trust its own people and does not want to them to think or to express themselves or to find solutions to problems. They want them to trust that the government has all the solutions and is working on the many problems China faces (as expressed in detail in the latest five-year plan). The government is inherently suspicious of anything it does not trust, cannot understand, or is unable to control. So are most governments, yet some of these things offer meaningful and worthwhile alternatives that need to be explored. And some here are. But a very few, and nothing dramatic. But, there is more happening that before. The bureaucrats are smart, many are educated overseas, and they recognize the incredible changes taking place and the incredible environmental, social, economic, cultural and other changes taking place that need to be addressed. Behind the scenes, pilots and plans to iterate continue and it is very interesting to experience this firsthand living here, and of course, working in the field of sustainable development, philanthropy, responsible business practices and the entire ecosystem around this.
So there are a just a few thoughts. I had to say something at some point and now, finally, I have. Much more to say, but this is a start. Meanwhile, flights are booked now: so from 15th July-16th August I'll be in the UK (or Germany)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)