Getting to Know the World’s Most Important Economy

In a recent LinkedIn discussion about facts that will blow your mind, I commented to a member of our White House Group and one of our colleagues… you are dead on in that, China's communist party is afraid of its own people, as they should be! Roughly, 80% of their population was born after their communist form of government came into power. They do not, and are not in support of their form of government. I have traveled to China with and for a group of scientist I have represented since 2001. These are my personal observations and beliefs.

Over the last decade China's government has allowed for more liberal economic entrepreneurship and individual wealth. Beijing can boast of having a large concentration of millionaires. I agree that these are the cadres that most likely will flee China when the s^*t hits the fan. But they are not strongly behind the currently empowered communist government regime. In fact they much like our own corrupt elected government serve the economic interests of their funders. They too would likely morph toward or into a new styled democracy if they could balance some economic continuity. In China, for the most part the economic choices were individually hard earned not gifted.

I don't agree that China will fall apart in 2011 because economically they do have a mechanism upon which to build and sustain a democracy unlike Russia. To their credit China has invested in their greatest resource, human capital. A lesson our own government should learn. In short, the communist regime has maintained support by allowing for some prosperity within its borders. That does not mean that their huge population buys into supporting their government or that those who have benefited will give their continued support.

The word is out and they are aware, of a better way. I think the real question is what are we showing China here in the states? What are we teaching China about fundamental freedoms when our US Senators propose censorship legislation and favor corporations over our people? What are we in the real world, not in our own aggrandized perception? They see what we do not and value more what many have forgotten or never learned. China now listens less to what we say, but pays attention to what we show them! The only given in 2011 will be change!