BBC Talking Points--Program on China this morning

[Skidmore]

Robin Lustig was interviewing a couple of Chinese professors about China's role in the modern world. There were a couple of interesting comments made by these individuals during the later portion of the program which I though I'd pass on.

First, when asked if the West should fear China as it "opens" up and if it has the ambition of being a superpower, both individuals agreed that they would prefer China to remain third in the world so that #1 and #2 would continue to fight one another over who is dominant. I'm sure the US is one of those, but I don't know which country is perceived of as being the other. They basically were saying that some of China's longevity as a culture and a nation was because it avoids hegemonic aspirations.

Second, when asked why the country is considered still to be "Communist China", the woman being interviewed responded that communism is about the equality of people and "what's wrong with that". That mistakes had been made by people in positions of power as to how to implement the concept of equality and it had been tied too much to ideology. When pressed further on if there would ever be a China with a multiparty political system, the man said he didn't believe that that should be necessary if the Communist party does its job right in meeting the needs of the wealthy and the poor laborer alike. He said if the Communist party elects to only provide rights for the corporate wealthy of the nation, then it will become a "republican" party and China will then have the need for a "democratic" party.