Book stirs controversy over Middle Kingdom's ambitions

• Source: Global Times
• [23:57 November 01 2009]
• Comments

After all, GDP numbers never can win hearts and minds. Rather, it is progress in those fields that would make China a well admired country.ª

It is true that China is almost continental in size and its population accounts for one fifth of humanity. In addition, the Chinese state is very different from Western states: It has existed for over 2,000 years, and for over a millennium it had no competitors.

As a result, the Chinese have a deep and living sense of their culture and civilization. At various points, the Chinese even regarded themselves as superior to all others.

However, over the past 200 years, both the Chinese state and the Chinese people realized the disasters one would run into after a long time of only looking inward and believing only in oneself and not having the ability to learn from others. In fact, the past 30 years of reform and opening-up to the outside world is a demonstration of this realization.

Therefore, it would be hard for anyone to preach again that China is always the best and Chinese culture is superior to all others.

Even at a time of financial crisis, when the West has begun to question its own fundamental belief about the relations between government and the market, people in China are not asking whether the market has failed, or whether China should learn from the West anymore.

Because China has just had 30 years of market-based growth, it is certainly not going to turn its back on it now. China has had tremendous economic growth as a result of learning Western technology and management style.