TurnRightTurnLeft: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/the-east-was-red/story-e6frg7e6-1225779432478

Thanks for the link. One comment stood out: "This process has been reinforced by the state control of the airwaves and the internet. The party has found ways to transform the new instruments of liberation, as they were originally conceived -- the mobile phone and internet -- into instruments of control."

The problem I have with that statement is just about every Chinese expatiate says "yes, but everyone knows how to get around the controls".

One of those two statements must be an exaggeration. Either the Chinese does indeed successfully control everything its citizens see and hear, or its citizens can get around the controls easily.

Knowing what I do about the internet, I suspect that right now young well educated Chinese can easily get around the restrictions, and this can't be fixed short of unplugging the internet. The rest, which are currently the vast bulk of the population, get to see and here only what the government wants. Right now I don't think it would matter if they didn't, the Chinese government paranoia notwithstanding. While the government is delivering economically, their hold on power is safe.

But the things the government is doing now to maintain control sow the seeds of destruction of those very same conditions. Educating the young population ensures the propaganda control the Government has now will disappear, and the rising wages in China will eventually mean the West can't afford their products. Hitting that point makes for a painful transition. Just ask Japan.

When that happens they will find themselves in the same position as Russia was. Unhappy citizens looking out at envy at a more prosperous West, who apparently live in some Avatar like society. (US propaganda has just a potent as the PRC's, in its own way.) What happens next? Buggered if I know, but if I was China's ruling elite, I'd be taking careful note of the fact that unlike the mob Mao took over from, Gorbachev and all his mates are still in one piece, enjoying their dotage.

China as an equal,eh? Or as a friend? With friends like that who needs enemies?

I long as they stay in the overpopulated,digusting hellhole which they have made for themselves I am prepared to tolerate them and no more.

Thanks for your comments fellers. I enjoy reading them. None of us has a mortgage on the truth...least of all me. This land of contradictions is such a difficult place to get a handle on. However, that shouldn't stop any of us from adding our personal perspectives to the sum total of opinion on China.

I remain a proud Australian and democrat. But I am a contradiction also. China does that to you. E.g., although I have a visceral dislike of the system itself, I appreciate the government's problems. Although I abhor a system that allows such a wide disparity of wealth, I appreciate the fact that so many people are being lifted out of poverty via the trickle-down effect. And on and on it goes...nothing is cut and dried. The best thing to do is take this place as you find it.

Once again, fellers, thanks. I appreciate your comments.

Brian,

I also would like to see China improve the plight of its people.

However, my own perspective (or bias) is with Western interests.

The more I think about the environment, human rights, political freedom, and most other issues, the more I am worried about the rise of China and the example it sets for another authoritarian nations. Oh, I forgot, it makes a lot of cheap products while taking lots of Western jobs offshored

As far as accepting high moral ground or just accepting the inevitable, as suggested by others, I make no apologies. Western hegemony, for all of its imperfections, will do it better than any other alternative. It is okay and desirable to be objective, but some trends are straightforward. An authoritarian China offers the world little besides bringing important attention to the West to do more at the international level to prevent its growing influence.

Sure the US has faults, but it is the leader of Western countries in terms of power and influence. I, for one, hope it does take China on and tempers its mercantile ways.

Who has more chance of succeeding. The Chinese people to temper its authoritarian communist party, or the US democratic system to address the power of corporations? I will put my money on the latter. The latter wil certainly occur much more quickly.

Chris,
I would like to agree with you, however the system we have now is quite different from the one that brought countries such as the US and Australia into wealth and provided our relative freedoms.
In the last 20 years or so we have had major changes to the financial system, corporations law, and media. This has allowed an unprecedented channelling of wealth out of the economy and into very few hands. the lead-up to the Iraq war showed just how "free" our media is: *All* news outlets pushed the same lies (WMDs, 911, etc) and ignored the recent historical context (US shenanigans in Iran, Iran/Iraq war, Saddam's CIA links, etc).
Similarly, the media had only one line to give on the GFC...that which the bankers would like you to hear.
Similarly the nuclear non-proliferation that is being used as a stick for Nth Korea and Iran: the US and Britain happily broke all the rules they were supposed to be following while berating the smaller nations. Is it any wonder that Iran is trying to get nukes?
America's elites will ride the corpse of the USA all the way to it's destruction. Hopefully they won't rush into a war with China...but I wouldn't be surprised given the lessons from Iraq were not learned.
Frankly, china currently provides hope for the world that the US simply doesn't. At least the folks in charge are visible.

Two points Ozandy:

For all your commentary about how society has changed recently, I think you underestimate how unequal it has been in the past. There have always been oligarchs. The only differences is the numbers, and that's not necessarily representative of a massive shift in wealth, rather, inflation. Numbers are much bigger because they don't buy as much.

Frankly, I think if you went back a hundred years I think people could say more-or-less exactly the same thing you're saying now, using different words.

As for your comment: "Frankly, china currently provides hope for the world that the US simply doesn't. At least the folks in charge are visible."

Oh good heavens no. Take it from someone who has lived in China for quite some time. This is probably the dumbest comment I've heard on Chinese vs Western leadership ever.

The folks in charge are NOT visible.

Read the link I put through on the earlier page. It's an in depth article on the communist party. Once people get in the higher echelons they're insulated from society completely.

Hu Jintao is among the least-known leaders for hundreds of years. Nothing is known about him.

Businesses are shrouded in secrecy. Boards are not known. Huawei, an electronics company linked to the government is run by... who?

Look in the article. More smoke and mirrors than you can shake as stick at. For all our cynical comments about democracy, we do live in democratic countries. Different people can run for government, look at Obama as an example. Corporations can fall and people can enquire about board membership.

None of these things are true for China.

Ozandy, please, for your own edification read that article. Christ I hope there aren't many people under the same illusion as you are, thinking the Chinese are more transparent than the west. If they do, we are so many different kinds of screwed.