Thursday, Apr 10th 2008
Caught this GOOD Magazine feature by Thomas P.M. Barnett via China Law Blog and felt violently compelled to share this with as many people as possible. Sure, it doesn’t cover everything, but it should be a required reading for a basic foundation of non-idiocy for everyone (especially Americans) when it comes to understanding the relevance and importance of China.
Put down your rifle (no offense, Mr. Heston), pick out another cold one, and get your read on:
10. Because Nixon went to China and your world was born.
9. Because China may be an ancient civilization, but it’s a young society that’s growing up very quickly-and unevenly.
8. Because China’s transformation echoes much of America’s past: not only the good, but plenty of the bad, and the ugly too.
7. Because China’s rapid and deep integration into manufacturing means that Chinese products permeate your life-at some risk.
6. Because China’s demand for resources is altering global markets in ways both profound and perverse.
5. Because the panda “huggers” versus “sluggers” debate is a lot of hot air-until Washington scares Beijing into raising your mortgage interest rate five points overnight.
4. Because as China builds out its infrastructure, it can set a good or a bad example to developing economies struggling to deal with fragile environments.
3. Because China is globalization’s general contractor: always happy to take the job and your money, but hard to get on the phone once you discover problems.
2. Because China will not be our biggest future enemy but our most important ally.
1. Because we’re less than five years from a new generation of Chinese leaders with whom a far stronger relationship may well be built.
I’m particularly amused that the list ends with something that could be construed as a point of hope.
