Ya, so governing a billion people ain't so easy Xi and I come from a nation of 38 million stretched across this North American continent..
And by the way Meng ain't crying to go back home.
She is comfortable in her Vancouver B.C. home.
Lots of comments like this one here today... I can only imagine that Presidential Xi’s office has sent an urgent dispatch to all Chinese embassies and intelligence stations abroad with orders to do everything possible to counter the negative reactions to this and related media coverage of the 70th birthday celebrations, including planting disinformation in the comment section of this newspaper.
So utterly transparent. So revealing of Mr. Xi’s deep insecurity.
No one is fooled.
11
I've read the comments and this occurred to me. Most Americans may not be be white supremacists but a good percentage are "American" supremacists in the sense that they believe we have the best system, without question
6
Just a very simple question: Soviet Union lasted from 1922-1991; let's bet on how long a fascist communist China will last, from 1949 to.....?
6
Dancers with long ribbons. Please don't forget that.
If you won't Mr. Xi, our dear leader Trump will not at the 2021 inauguration.
1
No doubt our own dear leader will try to outdo Xi Jinping with an even bigger military parade in DC (oops, I meant to say campaign event) a week before the Super Tuesday primaries. It'll be yuuge.
4
Chinese authorities have been planning for the 70th anniversary meticulously for months, leaving nothing to chance.
Although the Communist Party rules with an iron grip, dictating every aspect of life in China, but there is little it can do – to provide for “APEC-blue” skies. It is a term to describe a particularly bright day. It is a reference to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting that Beijing hosted in 2014, creating blue skies for the event after months of heavy pollution.
According to the Environmental Protection Monitoring Centre air quality in central Beijing will be at “unhealthy” levels above 150 on the Air Quality Index for the next week.
Last week, Beijing has also announced a guest list of more than 40 foreign leaders who will attend the military parade. Apparently only China’s “true friends” have been invited.
Among them Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, South African President Jacob Zuma and Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain. The only EU leader attending will be Czech President Milos Zeman. But Kim Jong-un isn’t considered a “true friend.”
Japan, North Korea, and other Western governments will send their foreign ministers or representatives to attend the ceremony.
Very strange indeed!
6
China will need another 200 years before it can reach a credible education system. Their universities are modern day laughing stocks. More often than not, they don't even have exams or tests, they pass literally everyone, teach little to no relevant material, have no accreditation systems, and the administrations are blatantly corrupt. You wouldn't want a Chinese educated surgeon working on you, that's for sure.
And to everyone stating that China is impressive for moving vast amounts of people to middle class: That isn't difficult when majority of positions require you to work 80-100 hours a week. Slave labour no doubt.
4
Nice "objective" review of China's preparations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. There is nothing for the US ruling class to celebrate as our country is entering a period of decline signaled by the "election" of a narcissistic incompetent as its commander in chief. We are witnessing the beginning of what may well be the Chinese Century a period in which, as the Chinese version of socialism gradually spreads along the One Belt, One Road, 一带一路, and brings prosperity and the possibility of finally eliminating the poverty and suffering of the billions of people subjected to the projects of Western capitalist globalisation, will have a positive uplift for the 152 countries already involved as well as those not involved. We should be congratulating the Chinese on their great economic and social progress over the last seventy years despite all the challenges, errors, mistakes and wrong turns taken along the road to progress and the betterment of their country and potentially the future benefit of humanity.
12
I have many friends on WeChat, the Chinese do-everything app. Whenever they say they are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the country this week, I tell them that I am confused, as when in China I'm often told that it has been a country for 5000 years. I've never once received an answer from them. I'm pretty sure it's because they know the real score.
5
The Party will be showing off its weapons. Message to the people: "We will use these weapons to defend against foreigners, but we can use them against you, too".
7
Mr. Xi, there are many ways to exclude people from the decision making process. Tiananmen Square method....you know that well. In the USA we get better results with a combination of efforts. We imprison Blacks and Latinos for longer and for far lesser crimes than we do our whites. Exposure to harmful chemicals is also quite useful. We manage to get rid of, and disable tens of thousands of black folk annually through combining sickness with unavailability of timely healthcare. Then there are cop killings. You're doing alright in these areas but you could improve. Talk with Donald.
3
The Sleeping Tiger has awakened.
2
Tiger? More like Winnie the Pooh.
2
"China has thrived in ways the Soviet Union did not,..."
China did thrive thanks to the West. China and it's communist party would have failed like the Soviet Union if not for the US bankrolling the country through a trade deficit unheard of in human history.
This would be the first time in human history that a dominant power has bankrolled and help its adversary takes over without firing a single bullet.
Short term profit by greedy capitalist and Wall Street people is what made this China possible. A communist country by name only. A communist country full of billionaires.
4
It's incredibly hypocritical that USA with a history of genocide, occupation, and bloody wars for land against native populations and other colonial empires criticize a country with no Imperial or world dominance ambition. Democracy is a recently acquired value in Western history, and the West has no divine right to impose their indoctrination, lifestyle and idea of values upon foreign countries. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria are examples of such failed policies actually driven by self interest. China is far from perfect, but they are earning the right to find their own path while the West is decaying.
11
Nothing says "I'm insecure" like a big military parade.
9
Trump is going to be so jealous - "a HUGE military parade and I have nothing - NOT FAIR - how come XI gets one and not me? SO WRONG"
6
@Jeff, ... let's see what happens on Tuesday. Will Mr. Xi send a selfie of himself, with the parade in the background, and tweet, "wishing you were here"?
2
An old nation. Huge.
A rich history and culture.
Diverse peoples. Many.
Innovators of successful controls.
Tai chi movements. Mindfulness.
Mindlessness.
Massive population movements.
Many forced.
Continua of violating words and deeds.
Many hidden. Denied. Perverted.
“Education” transmuted by
semantic surrealism.
Deaths. natural and otherwise.
Ideological mantras emitted by
personally unaccountable
leaders and Menschlichkeit-levelers.
Another Anniversary of...
Exacting plans.
Tightly controlled implementations.
Ongoing assessments.
Learned from?
Choosing to BE oblivious to realities’
ever-present interacting uncertainties. Unpredictabilities.
Randomness. Outliers and Black Swans.
And the irreality of TOTAL control.
In a RED-realm of Palleted and unPalleted
diverse Peoples. Many complacent.
Others complicit. All will perish. Naturally as well as not.
Monuments well.
Xi today. Ozymandias tomorrow.
2
The event described in this article makes it all the more imperative, it seems to me, that the US and the West more generally do everything possible to ensure that China does not mature from its quintessentially agrarian, backward nature.
4
It is said, that financial crisis in the "west" is often predicted by the unveiling of the tallest skyscraper ever to be built somewhere. In the communist world, one could probably venture a similar correlation with the lavish intensity of a parade.
The period of intensive industrialization of China has ended, just like the period of intense industrialization of the Soviet Union has ended in 1960-ies. Centrally controlled economies can accomplish impressive things, up to a point. Then they run into the same barrier, which is inherent inefficiency of central planning.
China has a specific problem that the Soviet Union did not have. She has a population of 1.3 billion. Only a third of this population reached something of a middle class living standard. The remaining 2/3 will not in any foreseeable future because the world has only so much in resources. The technology needs to catch up and broaden the resource base, which requires creativity, generally the opposite of what centralized economies have to offer.
Hold on to your hats, because regimes such as the present Chinese regime will often substitute nationalism and belligerence where economic development fails. Such was the case of the Soviet Union.
3
This is precisely why the intelligence services of the West, as well as those of Japan and South Korea, must infiltrate select elements of the Chinese peasant class, smuggle them weapons, and agitate for a popular uprising. The Chinese “middle class” will follow as the night follows the day.
The People’s Liberation Army will not be far behind.
1
Congratulations to China and to President Xi. On my visit I saw the positive energy, the immense confidence of the Chines in their power (possibly too much?). China plans for the long haul + leave the squabbles to 'quarterly result' driven economies. Trains are superb, cheap, fast. Among millions of electric mopeds there is not a single combustion engine. From the plane you see many solar farms.
Now, Mr Xi, a truly strong man, a truly strong nation can afford to be tolerant and invite other opinions. That would make you an almost perfect country.
7
Well, Mr. XI, you may have to murder a million people to really get control of this situation. Are you prepared to do that? You would be better served to let this go, and accede to the wishes of the thoughtful, committed residents of Hong Kong. It might even win you more supporters in the West. The soft glove instead of the whip, if you want my advice. Don't be foolish.
12
70 years of Commie dictatorship with 30 years of a basterdized version of good ol’ Capitalism sprinkled in to prop up the fake regime’s legitimacy. I have to hand it to the Chinese—they proved that one can fundamentally abandon one’s core philosophy while still maintaining absolute power—a first in world history.
13
I read this and I will re-double my efforts to avoid buying products made in China. Call me anti-Chinese-ite'.
16
Its so cute, people think they're having a military parade.
Nobody, any time, anywhere, will ever have a parade as big as Donald Trump. I mean Donald Trump's. The biggest parade ever-est in all of history. The Everest of Parades, they should say.
And music? The musicalist, just like the free food and champagne from New York or somewhere. And guns too.
But not tanks, I'm afraid...because liberals.
Anyhoo, way to copy our idea China. Little late, don't you think? And pretty weeny, obviously.
We know all about high-tech tech and stuff, TOO, so don't think your fake videos are going to fool us. Because America.
Can you imagine? If we had real generals with real nerve and real courage and half-a-shared-brain, this Epic Meander of Impressive Hardware might never have even happened.
How lucky are we?
Anyway, sorry China. Nice try though.
4
Fifteen thousand troops? Hypersonic missiles? Jet flyovers? Eat your heart out Donald.
8
Chairman Mao is rolling in his grave now. Today's so called Communism is 180 degrees from what he and the diehard old communists planned and executed some 60 years ago. China of today is more like a several million member thug squad , ensuring the minority rules over the majority. No freedoms, yet lots of money. No liberty, yet lots of corruption. The West took the bait Deng Xiaoping threw them and now China is the big bully of Asia. How to reign in China? We can start by doing what Trump is trying to do, hit them where it hurts, in their pocket book, but our own greedy capitalists don't want that, they want to continue on reaping profits from doing business with China. Greed wins, freedom and liberty loses.
14
@lou andrews what are you saying sir, Mao himself is responsible for more than million deaths. He must be rejoicing . There was no freedom in mao's time too. Freedom and communism are mutually excclusive terms.
3
Why do they can him President Xi? He's General Secretary Xi. There is a word for president in Chinese, and the PRC doesn't use it to describe Xi Jinping.
5
@Sam, and why do they call him Xi? I was just getting used to the Wade-Giles system - and what happened to Bombay? And where's Kyiv and the mountain peak of Denali? Sigh ...
1
The leader surveys ranks of robotic tanks and waits for the drones to pass on their stealthy way. Silence falls upon the stilled troops.
Stepping close to the microphone, he declares, “I have had a green dream, for only I can save the world from itself. Nature is our friend once more. The planet will breathe, the seas will cool, and the species will multiply. The Belt & Road Initiative is up and running and we now touch every corner of the world, rushing to every natural disaster in the making.
We deter the Amazon from self-conflagration, choreograph the opening and closing of oil spigots, and keep global population in check. Buffaloes replace cows in the Americas under the watchful eye of its indigenous peoples, and the world's soils regenerate. Silly consumerism dissolves, corruption is a thing of the past, and poppy fields lie fallow for want of customers. A kindly pair of hands extends to those who murder, and gently pry guns from their hands.
I am the new Ecological Emperor. With Green Troopers at my side, I now declare there is no need for Planet B.”
1
As the brutal regime in Beijing celebrates let us all celebrate our own America which has brought prosperity to billions since its founding.
It did that while trying to adhere to democratic principles, even if the implementation was flawed by its treatment of African Americans, Native Americans. It threw the monkey off its back by electing an African American as president and could elect another in 2020 ( Booker, Harris).
America did all this while simultaneously inventing modern marvels that have made life for all humans better: medicines, drugs, the washing machine, dryer, microwave oven, airplanes, and much more.
What has China invented since it allegedly invented gunpowder that changed human living in any significant manner?
7
Now Trump will want a big parade again. Like he did after seeing France's parade. Priorities, schmiorities.
5
‘Tanks, Missiles and No Pigeons’, the headline is subjective in nature to state that China’s growing power is at the cost of making peace with its own people and the world. The prestigious New York Times should have been more neutral to what is seen as annual event of National Day Celebration.
6
Since the first opium war invaded by foreign powers at 1840, Japanese invasion at 1937 and the blackly cultural revolution around 1966, the Chinese people learned these by heart: Long lasting peace is vital, but only if China can rise again. China was weak and beaten, no matter what it takes, they will not let that happen again. The motto teachers drill into the youth is this: 弱国无外交，落后就会挨打！it means: a weak country has no diplomacy to speak of; lagging behind, you 'll get bullied and humiliated! With such a bloody history as of modern China, their grievances and ambition can't be underestimated, especially under a leader who has done many things to improve their living standards and welfare.
7
@Zoe
The opium wars were the most shameful encounter of the west in China far exceeding the Japanese invasion. China should disregard trade with the west and concentrate on dominating the trade in Asia.
Cool. Maybe Trump can take notes. What am I saying? Trump doesn't know how to take notes.
2
Simply put: president for life? You are in big trouble. Sorry to say, but China is on the road to trouble.
2
Why do they need a military parade showing weapons of war and destruction to celebrate an anniversary?
Mankind keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
He thinks power lies in flexing his puny muscles in the face of his own mortality .
Take the thugs out and give the people freedom !
The Chinese will only be truly great when they are free.
And that goes for every country !
True freedom lies in peace not war and domination !
9
@Charle
How many wars has the USA been in since WWII?
How many wars has China been in since WWII?
1
Respectfully, a silly question. The US is a global financial, military and political power. China is terrified of taking any responsibility whatsoever, with the exception of selling lousy products on the global market and developing poorly conceived infrastructure projects in Third World countries.
1
@Solon
How many wars has mankind been in since the beginning of time ?
How much money goes into fighting these endless wars ?
How many people live in abject poverty without food or shelter?
What is the point of nations fighting each other ?
What is the point of war?
I'm sure Trump will be tuned in with glee at the military parade with strictly choreographed soldiers. He loves it when people all snap to attention to dictators. He's unlikely to tweet his joy at the spectacle given the pending impeachment. I will take great pleasure knowing he will be secretly jealous that all he got was a few tanks parked in front of him at his war loving US military URAH speech over the 4th of July.
3
Trump is going to be so jealous of the big Military Parade and Xi standing proudly on the reviewing stand. He is going to have dreams of this happening to him some day.
3
I have spent a small amount of time in China where I met veterans of the Cultural Wars. I have also done extensive readings about Chinese history and regularly read such periodicals as Foreign Affairs. A few observations about the current regime of Xi & co.
The CCP has morphed from Mao's ideological dictatorship to a more conventional oligarchy-controlled dictatorship; the oligarchy still carrying the label of the CCP. The current oligarchy has embraced crony capitalism for two reasons: (1) because it works, and (2) because without it, rebellion is always possible.
The Chinese people have a very love-hate memory of Mao. The "whites" suffered terribly at the hands of the "reds" during the Cultural Revolution. Combine that experience with the lessons learned from the failure of the Soviet Union and its evident that pure political ideology will not sustain popular support for the gov't.
Xi is not pursuing a pure political ideology. He is pursuing a plan to firmly establish China as a great power with worldwide reach; the Asian equivalent to the US. Actually, he's positioning China to be the non-white counter-balance to the Euro-US basis of world power.
The Chinese people, who reminded me greatly of everyday Americans, get this. They know their history of humiliation at the hands of the Europeans. Their civil war was not unlike our own civil war. It left scarred families and society, but it has mostly healed.
The Chinese are a force to be reckoned with.
12
Great. Now Trump is going to demand 20,000 troops, twice as many aircraft, and twice as many tanks for his next self-serving demonstration of fealty to him.
/eyeroll.
As for China, let them celebrate. The country has made great strides in the last three decades to move out of the middle ages and into the modern world of nations.
3
As for the new airport I hope communications will improve. I have a friend who's a pilot he says whenever he flies into China he's often distracted because the traffic controllers speak in Chinese to domestic flight crews. So he has to listen carefully when they speak in English to address his airplane.
2
The snarky side comments by Mr Myers are unfortunate and unnecessary.
China's phenomenal accomplishments during the past 70 years are worthy of ample praise, even if its type of governance is different than ours.
10
Ten years ago I stood on a ring road on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. I was not close to the area, Tian An Men where the invited political guests were gathered, so there was less chance of baflflegab political opinion tp bias the responses to my questions. The woman who translated for me was a university professor on the edge of retirement.
As mobile missile launchers passed by, including nuclear capable missile, I asked a series of people what this meant to them. The answers were fairly uniform:
"You are a foreigner, so maybe you don't know our history. We Chinese people have our own internal problems and we discuss them all the time. China was deprived of self-determination for several hundred years by foreigners. But this military parade shows that we Chinese can solve our own problems without foreign interference. We have our ups and downs, but now China is respected around the world."
Those answers are akin to what Americans could say about the Fourth of July, manifestations of patriotism...until recently when a president nonchalantly and without a hint of embarrassment allows and invites foreign governments to interfere in the internal business of elections.
7
One of the holes in the Internet's alleged total ability to observe and record-permanently-events and proceedings of the world are the events in CHina and the Hong Kong "handover". The repeated redrawing of the original deal with btwn CHina/Britain, was for 999 years-, a standard imperial contract, in those days. Since, it's been nibbled away by the mice of history until HK was left facing an "arranged marriage" of the by then socio-politically British Island, by1997. I recall there seemed all too much Chinese nationalism, among Hong Kongers ,who benefited immensely from being among the UK's many, racially diverse British Subjects. I can find no old newspapers, no old copies of local objections to future Chinese rule, nor even material from locals celebrating communism, desirous of rejoining the mainland. In the interim-HK'ers benefited far more than mainlanders. If China became "richer": HK people kept UK freedoms. & Now, HK children want the UK, the USA and European Democracies,(almost all established/maintained by the USA), to rescue them. How did no one see or point out this direction of events? Why is reporting,especially among HK and Mainland people so black and white?
Did HK simply allow herself silently to be traded back to CHina in exchange for a few decades of UK justice and elections?
I can find none of what I recall from pre internet times. . .
1
If anyone has a good idea for sneaking in to see the parade - please post here :). It is beyond my imagination to understand how they are going to shut down so much territory in the city and monitor not only the whole route but all the blocks of urban fabric radiating out from it that are off-limits.
3
The problem with this celebration of 70 years of "Communist" rule is that is not communist! Karl Marx would be spinning in his grave at the reality: an insulated, murderous elite at the helm of a system adopting the worst excesses of industrial capitalism with no concern for the people it supposedly champions. That's all propaganda and an excuse for oppression, subtle for "citizens," outright in the case of minorities. There is NO communal ownership of land, no workers' rights in slave-like conditions of many factories, no real health insurance, no functioning judicial system -- the list goes on. And these outrages to human dignity and freedom are given a 21st century twist: a "social credit" system via AI surveillance meant to turn people into little better than human machines.
2
@free range
China has a bloody 2000 year history. And the Communist party has made many mistakes. But the country has made amazing progress since the death of Mao. To not recognize this is to be foolish.
Since 1976, where have we gone as a country? The rich are certainly richer now, but I am not sure about the typical American. I believe public education is not as strong as 1976. And the state of our politics, summarized in the two words: Donald Trump - is truly distressing. I know that he is still supported by 43% of Americans, but I do not think history will be kind to him.
So how to view China in 2019? I personally believe best is to wish them well and focus on healing our own wounds and problems.
3
There was a piece in the Times a while ago profiling the new bridges of China. Yes, many are boondoggles to nowhere, serving no one, and will soon lapse into decay because maintenance was never considered in their funding, but they are spectacular feats of engineering! Meanwhile, back in the Free World, Andrew Cuomo heralded the opening of the Kosciusko Bridge over the Newtown Creek, a design that would not have been out of place in a mid-sized Midwest city thirty years ago, like it was the Great Wall and the Roman Colosseum rolled into one. It was a sad spectacle.
China's infrastructure was built by fiat. In this country there is a party that is so set against government spending that it has allowed the country to crumble into a 3000 mile wide gravel pit rather than allocate the necessary funds, so now, we have fleets of billion dollar aircraft carriers patrolling the waters, defending a dustbowl of ignoramuses. A nation that won't invest in its people is doomed. A people that keeps reelecting retrograde plutocratic stooges who stand in the way of progress is doomed.
9
No pigeons, yet how many thousands facial-recognition cameras dutifully documenting the lucky bystanders ?
4
The pigeons are being retrofitted with cameras Just wait!
2
A military parade? Wait til DJT hears about this. I mean, just look at that sign. Makes it clear that size matters.
1
The first time that I visited China I stayed in a hotel within easy walking distance of Tiananmen Square in Beijing openly owned by the People's Liberation Army.
Not only was it one of the most luxurious hotels that I have ever stayed in the room was modernist and high tech way beyond anything available at the time in America.
Senior Chinese military officials were few but conspicuous. Early every evening a bevy of young statuesque Chinese beauties paraded alone towards the elevator banks to leave late the next morning. None of the well dressed civilian nor military uniformed men were ever seen with them. Security at the hotel was conspicuously high tech and overt.
Since that time China has taken the PLA out of the hotel and any other business. Seeing the obvious danger to civilian rule by the collective term limited collective leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.
America annually spends as much on it's military as the next eight nations combined. Including 10× Russia and 3x China.
Having lavish military display parades has always been an iconic essential domestic and international propaganda measure for autocratic left and right regimes.
That Donald Trump, Sr. envied such parades and wanted to throw one in the District of Columbia exposes his autocratic dictactorial tyrannyical nature and nurture.
That Trump was a cowardly dishonorable unpatriotic military draft dodger during the American war in Vietnam exposes his corrupt hypocrisy.
5
The next president may play less golf and watch less tv.
"Hit the books" is advice I read in a book from America about the FBI in the 60s.
Integrity, truth and justice in the American way.
Around ten I learnt at school the roles of the Supreme Court and the US Constitution.
Back then US presidents were avuncular just like the Walton family who endured the Depression.
My older brother said to me that only millionares can be president.
Roy Rogers, Robert Stack ,Audie Murphy and guys like John Wayne would not bother with cook outs on the south lawn.
But bombing Putin.
China has illegally and brutally occupied Tibet since the 1950s. China had built the Great Wall as its western border. Is it not time for the rest of the world to push China back, east of the Wall?
Why does the world ignore this major crime by China?
3
For Once, the article and the follow up comments are well expressed, well thought out, insightful and relatively centrist and non biased. A rarity for the NYT. We need more of this, and less bias.
1
To understand what the Chinese people faced before 1949, please find a copy of Harrison Salisbury’s “The Long March.” Poverty, war lords, illiteracy, slavery, starvation. In 1949, while the US began its greatest economic expansion in history. Founded in the greatest of hopes that the lives of the 1 billion peasants could be improved. That they would have food, fresh water, education opportunities, and freedom from debt slavery. Many horrible mistakes were made and continue to be made. Millions died. The environment continues to be ravaged. But the 21st Century China compared to the mid-20th Century is a success. We need to remember that the hundreds of years of Chinese prostration before Japan and the West has placed a huge chip on China’s shoulder. We need to understand China as we condemn its excesses.
4
From the article by Steven Myers:
"The authorities have restricted live entertainment venues, ordered people to vacate apartments and banned flying kites, sky lanterns and even homing pigeons, a charming feature of many neighborhoods."
That says a lot, does it not?
4
@Indian Diner: Trump is taking notes.
1
@Richard Schumacher
Trump builds apartments and rents them out.
They've fed their 1.4 billion, which is commendable—
But the environment has been destroyed.
11
@srwdm--Do not believe that the Chinese people don't know this. They are the ones whose children are sick, and dying, the ones who have to wear masks every time they go outside, where they can't see their hands in front of their faces. With tRump in charge, pretty soon it will be exactly the same here in the US. Wait and see. You think this is being ignored by people who breathe and drink water? Uh, no.
3
All the economic miracles in Asia post World War II has one primary ingredient:
US market
So, why is the US keeping its market open to the Communists when the Communists are threatening Taiwan & Right to Navigation (building military outposts in the South China Sea on artificial islands), supporting North Korea & Venezuela & Cuba, etc.
Personally, if there's an alternative product that's not made in China I would buy it. I don't want my money to be used to fund the Communist Party.
8
@George
There are many alternatives. Stop buying first.
2
That's because the USA can conjure dollars out of thin air, and convince foreigners they have 'value'. Foreigners give to the US valuable goods in exchange for green paper. Is that clear?
In March, 1979, I was a junior member of one of the first American delegations to the People’s Republic of China since President Carter normalized relations between the U.S. and China. Some of my colleagues accompanied President Nixon in his groundbreaking trip there in 1972. As “primitive” as China seemed to me in 1979 — few motorized vehicles and mostly bicycles on Beijing’s streets — my associates characterized the changes between what they had seen in 1972 and what they witnessed in 1979 as considerable. In 1972, they recalled hearing almost exclusively the low hum of rubber bicycle tires on the wide avenues; by 1979, those low undertones were largely drowned out by the incessant honking of horns as the emerging fleets of buses, trucks and automobiles overtook other traffic. Today, if I were to return, the scene would be incomprehensible to my eyes. So much for progress!
3
It’s impressive to read all the comments about how China has lifted half a billion of people out of poverty, has developed high speed rail connections to second and third tier cities, has improved the country with massive infrastructure projects. This is all very commendable. 
Yet it seems to me that the essential fragility of Chinese authoritarian rule and population control can be summed up in its president’s fear of images of Winnie the Pooh.
7
At this point Communism in China has lasted about as long as it lasted in Russia. China needs to forge ahead into something new, but it should beware of getting something just as bad, as Russia has.
1
We don’t talk enough about the credible evidence showing that China harvesting the organs of religious minorities (Uighurs) in internment camps. China gets older but its long history of human rights violations remain the same (or gets worse). Sad. Economic development should be accompanied by social-cultural development as well.
5
Though China is notorious for its human rights violations and its harsh treatment of pro-democracy supporters, I like the way it has survived capitalists pressures. The mighty Soviet disintegrated and crushed due its own weight and pro-Communist Germany integrated with its twin. Still, China has retained its Communist ideology and is growing into a superpower. It is ambitious to match the U.S. and European countries in every field, be it militarily or economically. It has taken space exploration seriously. It is good to have a communist country growing into a major power in the world politics. It will give a balance. Capitalists countries on the one hand and China and its prodigies like Cuba, North Korea on the other. Of course, China has to come clean on its human rights violations and own up its mistakes.
2
Though China is notorious for its human rights violations and its harsh treatment of pro-democracy supporters, I like the way it has survived capitalists pressures. The mighty Soviet disintegrated and crushed due its own weight and pro-Communist Germany integrated with its twin. Still, China has retained its Communist ideology and is growing into a superpower. It is ambitious to match the U.S. and European countries in every field, be it militarily or economically. It has taken space exploration seriously. It is good to have a communist country growing into a major power in the world politics. It will give a balance. Capitalists countries on the one hand and China and its prodigies like Cuba, North Korea on the other. Of course, China has to come clean on its human rights violations and own up its mistakes.
This is the kind of authoritarian chest-thumping Trump tries to emulate and his supporters crave. But I'm sure, thanks to the power of Orwellian doublethink, they won't recognize themselves in this mirror image.
"Communist" China has not been a communist nation for perhaps the last twenty years. What it really is is a standard-issue dictatorship whose unelected leaders allow their citizens to earn as much money as they can (provided that their business dealings don't interfere with those of the state or the military) while silently acknowledging that the government is not to be questioned. Ethnic minorities, in particular, are exploited or put on display for the amusement of Han Chinese tourists, denuded of their cultures and their ability to worship their God if they're even suspected of preferring His authority to that of their secular leaders. And, taking a lesson from the West while upping the ante to an unfathomable extent, those leaders have cozied up to autocrats the world over, lending them fistfuls of cash in return for their countries' natural resources. The Chinese are a talented and hardworking people but they've clearly decided to make a deal with the Devil by trading their freedom and integrity for a means to financial success. Those who died in Tiananmen Square would be ashamed of the current generation.
2
Nothing to celebrate here. A totalitarian Orwellian nightmare. And dont tell me the regime got millions out of poverty. That wasnt the regime, its called industrialization, and it happened centuries earlier in England and a century earlier in the US.
6
@scientella You can say the same to India which has many years of 'Democracy', and yet half of its population do not have indoor toiletry. No system is perfect. The results count.
Napoleon Bonaparte also has a great military parade in 1804. That did not help him avoid the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
2
"In seven years in office, Mr. Xi has successfully consolidated his power by purging rivals, crushing dissent and removing the constitutional limits on his power."
The NYT makes it seem that this is a new and successful program to consolidate power in China. It is neither. It may work in the short term, but the evidence we have is that it will fail in the next ten years and be followed by a new Mao, or Deng, or Jiang with a "new" program to seize power. China has more than one billion people. The idea that you could purge all rivals or stifle all dissidents is ludicrous. The state apparatus needs them. They are the scientists, technocrats, and artists that create the conditions for success.
The Official Line is that China enjoys 5000 Years of Continuous History. Which is true, if you ignore the Europeans and the Mongols and the bloody civil wars. Xi's days are numbered.
1
Mr. Xi is missing the chance of a lifetime. Rather than assuming Chinese world leadership with magnanimity, altruism, and comity, Xi has chosen acquisitiveness, pugnacity, and violence.
It’s sad as a modern, global minded Chinese to read such a biased article and so many hostile comments against my country and the self-esteemed justice. As an ordinary citizen who was fortunate enough to experience the world and eventually decided to return and reside in my home country, I am truly proud of how our country has evolved and the amazing changes we are witnessing everyday. We are a people who do not want to complain about the imperfection of reality but rather do with our own hands to change our lives. For those people who have never visited the country or truly got to know us, it’s so easy to point your fingers at our government without really thinking - is there really a surely better one option for us over 1 billion people? What if it were a democratically elected government that would quite possibly lead on populism and incite chaos that simply disrupt the prosperity that took generations to get where we are.
5
It is amazing that China has produced 350 million middle class citizens within this 70 years period. Of course, there are long way to go in a country of 1.4 billion people. But it is worth celebration.
I doubt that China is ready for democracy now. In order for democracy to work, it requires citizen to have decent living and high level of education. With huge population, China may need another 200 years to reach about US $20,000 and educational level to high school equivalent for average citizen.
A good example of failed democracy is Hong Kong that lively displays the disruptive, chaotic, and violent protests in front of our eyes. HK government just cannot control the mobsters. One of the main reasons is that HK billionaires control the land which put the housing price out of reach for young people. Taiwan is not too far away from collapse due to stagnant wages and expensive housing. In addition, Taiwan government is corruptive. Hopefully, democratic election in Taiwan can rise to the occasion to defeat the sitting corruptive government.
2
@Usok I'm not so sure about that regarding democracy. It seems to work in India, a next door neighbor-at least they share a border. As for Hong Kong it's only recently we have been seeing protests. For most of my life I've never seen these types of violent protests in Hong Kong. The housing issue needs to be addressed. I spoke to a nurse from there who wanted to move to the U.S. because even though she makes a good enough salary to travel and take vacations she can't afford an apartment in Hong Kong. She lives in her father's apartment that was provided to him by the government when he was a police officer.
1
In a recent trip to China, a Chinese colleague of mine and I swapped cellphones to see the news each of us consumes. I was shocked at the gross misrepresentation of the Hong Kong protests Chinese citizens are fed. This comment reads like a PRC news release.
@Usok Hong Kong has never been a democracy.
1
The anniversary celebrations demanded the working class solidarity not an ugly display of raw military power or Xi Jinping's imperial grandeur and muscle flexing specially when Chuna is on the verge of implosion, as exemplified by the Hong Kong protests.
1
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma
A professor should at least get the country name right.
Anyway I wouldn’t be so quick to point fingers when India has plenty of its own problems...
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma
A professor should at least try get the country name right.
Anyway I wouldn’t be so quick to point fingers when India has plenty of its own problems...
The Communist (it is important to separate the chinese culture from the communist party members) loves to flex, but it never partake in any modern warfare involving GPS; further more, history tells us that region is only "good" at one type of war: civil war. If militaristic nationalism is the only thing the governing body has to offer its people, as seen by recent rise of hollywood-styled films depicting the regime as world heroes, then the world shall watch on with extreme caution.
2
Dear Chairman Xi Jinping
Your country has achieved amazing things in an incredibly short time. You have brought more people out of poverty than anyone anywhere else in history. You have brought prosperity, health, infrastructure, technology, science to the most populated country in the world in a way unprecedented in human history. We appreciate and respect all these amazing achievements.
But this has undeniably come at a cost. Environmental problems (air pollution, CO2 emissions) are now a global priority. Human rights have been repressed or abused whenever the central government perceived a possible obstacle or disturbance to its long term plans for growth and development.
This is now your chance, Mr. Chairman. Make this into China's century by allowing for wider freedom of information and transparency. Listen to different views and opinion without brutally repressing them. Tolerate different voices: your country is so strong, don't tell me it can't survive some dissenting opinions, like every major democracy does. And please lead the planet in the development of solutions to the global environmental problems. With America absent on this issue, China can lead the world to make this into a Chinese Green century.
15
@Andy
Your last paragraph rings of "let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend (Mao, 1956). It didn't turn out well then, and maybe not this time either. 9-29-19, 9:17 am
3
Enlightened autocracies are inherently more efficient than more democratic countries. Decision making is just faster, so is a turnaround when needed. Change takes decades if not generations in Western sclerotic 'democracies'.
10
Enlightened? Interesting take. The people of Hong Kong have had a taste of both and made it clear: democracy now.
2
Enlightened autocracies? That’s what we call an oxymoron. You know, like jumbo shrimp?
2
@Monica - the problem is that autocracies, no matter how enlightened, remove all the checks and balances required to avoid abuses of human rights, abuses of the law, nepotism, cronyism and so on. Let's say that today you have the best, most enlightened autocrat in the world who is honest, ethical and fair. But what happens if he takes a wrong decision? Who's there to stop him? Or what happens if a less savory character takes over power and begins abusing and terrorizing his people, stealing, or waging wars? Then WHO is going to stop this evil dictator, if you have removed all the checks and balances of democracy?
The only way out of a bad autocracy is rebellion, civil war, millions of deaths. The way out of a bad democracy are new elections. Look at fascism in Italy, or nazism in Germany - both dictators were initially hailed as populist heroes by their people. When things turned ugly, their removal resulted in the complete destruction of their countries with millions and millions of deaths.
Do you understand now why your idea is extremely dangerous and inherently flawed?
2
The US and all other free nations must fight the growth of China and its totalitarian ways. The best way to do this is with massive investment in our own country. This includes infrastructure, education, research, defence, etc. And speaking out for freedom and democracy around the world. The US should also strategically cut off Mainland China and—at the right moment—realign with Taiwan. It will be a gradual process, but the PRC must be destroyed and freedom brought to the Mainland. Better to do it through self-improvement and strategy than war, in which everyone loses.
8
@Richard Hannay
China owns the paper on most of our national debt. We can't push them so far that they call it in. Doing so would cause us to default & the worldwide consequences would be severe for both countries. No one wants this to happen, but pushed to breaking, they won't go down alone.
5
@Shayna China holds about 5% of the U.S. debt. This debt is not "callable," but is made up of debt with varying maturity dates.
7
It's notable and frankly horrifying that the US is now floating proposals to listing of Chinese equities on the American stock exchanges. Of course, this is horrifying to anyone who owns shares in Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent (I do), but also to the stock market in general:
Nasdaq said in a statement: “One critical quality of our capital markets is that we provide non-discriminatory and fair access to all eligible companies. The statutory obligation of all US equity exchanges to do so creates a vibrant market that provides diverse investment opportunities for US investors.”
This rather gratuitous and pointless aggression, floated for no immediate or apparent reason other than perhaps Trump's political situation, shows that China really has been the more reasonable actor in this pointless trade war. Expect the stock market to tank on Monday opening.
11
@David
Yeah, that is bad...
But check this out:
The amount of US farmland in foreign hands has tripled in the last twenty years.
That means the resources (water, for example) are controlled by those who may not love us deeply. And the crops. And, best of all, the massive subsidies we slather all over corporate agriculture (no, not "the American Farmer") walk right out our door never to return.
Its getting worse at a quickening pace.
Once we're finished destroying or depleting the nation's largest aquifer, this could be a real problem.
Between your stock and my agriculture it is plain that business knows no national boundary or allegiance.
Exxon, Archer Daniels, Microsoft and the rest have not one shred of interest in the welfare of our country, and no desire at all to invest in maintenance.
This what doctrinaire, pro-business Republicans are doing. It isn't "patriotism", it isn't "freedom", no matter what they say.
1
"In fact, access to the parade is restricted to only those with passes."
In these little details we see the true nature of China - an oppressive regime that is obsessed with appearances, hiding the realities of crushing rural poverty and a complete abandonment of anything Mao would endorse.
Tibet, Hong Kong, abandoned rural children who raise themselves while parents work hundreds of miles away in cities, Uighurs, and intellectuals would beg to differ that there is much to celebrate.
Neither Confucius nor Mao would find this autocratic oligarchy admirable or advanced.
26
China is much older than 70 years. It goes back thousands of years. In the past 70, it has been fixated on an ideology that has never worked and won't ever work in the future.
17
Congratulations to the PRC and the CCP on an economic and political miracle. In the 70 years since the defeat of the Kuomintang and their complicit Western imperialist forces, China has become the world's largest consumer market with the world's largest middle class. This was accomplished with a state-managed system that directly competes with Washington Consensus Capitalism.
Stockholders in the West, including media corporation stockholders, are understandably critical and justifiably concerned.
27
@john
The economic miracle happened on Taiwan decades sooner than on mainland China. And to this day, the per capita GDP of Tawain is many folds greater than on mainland China.
It has more to do with the opening of US market to the PRC, than to the leaders of PRC.
Without President Nixon opening trade to the PRC, the PRC would be a 3rd world country.
10
@George
Native Taiwanese did not equitably benefit from the influx of Kuomintang stolen loot when their Island was invaded. A better parallel for Taiwan would be the U.S. where the native Taiwanese are the Native Americans. Taiwanese wealth for decades has trickled down from Dongguan. Poverty in the U.S. has increased not diminished as China's poverty has almost disappeared.
2
@john - You fail to mention that the state-managed system killed tens of millions along the way (Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution), and only became the largest consumer market/middle class by abandoning the fundamental principles upon which the PRC was founded. Indeed, the recent growth in China has largely been so dramatic because the starting point was so low--the implementation of communist principles in the past had denuded China's economy badly.
5
Living and working in a big city in China, I've definitely noticed all the flags that have gone up. I also don't have to work next week. China has made incredible progress in relatively short time; certainly it has taken the greatest number of people out of poverty in the shortest time in all of human history.
No one knows the future, but the people of China are, in my experience, decent, friendly, and hard working. I wish them the best on their national birthday.
71
As someone who went to study in Beijing 20 years ago and now has been working in China for more than 15 years; I wish the PRC all the best during this 70th anniversary celebration. The changes I have seen from first setting foot in China to today are truly amazing. From the high speed rail system to subway systems in 2nd and 3rd tier cities to the highway network to the technological leadership of Ali and Tencent; the country has raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of people in a very short time. Definitely a feat worthy of congratulations whether or not you agree with their system of government.
92
Thank you! Finally a voice of reason from someone who actually has seen China's transformation with their eyes rather than only regurgitates Western propaganda that they absorbed on the Internet.
5
@Shawn
Since the communists took over in the early 1900s over 110 million Chinese have been killed by the Communist party. It has illegally and brutally occupied Tibet since the 1950s. You might want to keep reminding yourself of the atrocities by China.
5
No nation or empire in the history of the world has done what The People's Republic of China has done in the last 70 years. Though a bit simplified, it is not inaccurate to say that Mao created the state, Deng launched the modernization of the state and Mr. Xi's Belt and Road initiative is bringing China's infrastructure modernization brilliance to a number of nations in and out of Asia. This is not due, of course to Chinese altruism or benevolence. But, as the News Hour's series on China is showing, Malaysia was able to negotiate a better deal with China and successfully alleviated the initial onesideness of their original arrangement.
We can learn a lot from China while offering more carrot and less stick. Rebuilding our infrastructure while exporting it receptive nations around the world while using it to assist nations develop economically would better serve our national interests than the senseless and tragic wars we have waged around the globe over the past 130 years.
20
@Elliott Jacobson
"No nation or empire in the history of the world has done what The People's Republic of China has done in the last 70 years."
I don't know if you know this, India's GDP today already exceeds China's in 2005. So India isn't very far behind really, just 15 or so years. And it's a democracy.
China, as a country, is extremely image-conscious and finds a powerful need to show off its achievements. Meticulous planning and excessive manicuring of its cities has given off the impression it's much further ahead than it actually is. Consistent with this, access to China's interior regions was restricted for a long time (unless one had a business visa) and citizens in the mainland faced restrictions on overseas travel as late as 1997. Only after building gleaming cities, did China open its doors.
India, being a democracy, cannot bulldoze neighbourhoods. Nor can it bulldoze students protesting government policy with tanks.
China progressed faster, but at what cost? Much of its development was accelerated by the One Child policy. With less mouths to feed parents, parents retained more income and the state could allocate more resources per worker. But now, China faces a rapidly greying population - increasingly a drag on growth. Also, overall population will begin plunging from 2025 onwards.
Meanwhile, India's workforce is already the largest and will exceed China's by the hundreds of millions within a few decades.
China has gone fast, but will it go far?
22
@Jack
Not only is India behind, but even today, India grows slower than China with growth in the last quarter slowing to 5 percent. Indian labor force faces fierce competition from Vietnam and Bangladesh, as well as automation. It would be difficult for India to reach China's current level in a decade.
6
@Jason
Actually, between 2014 and 2018 India held the tag of fastest growing economy. The slowdown you're referring to is only a recent one and you have cited quarterly (not annual) growth for the 5% figure.
And while the IMF recently revised India's growth outlook to 7.0% from 7.2% for 2020, this is still higher than the annual growth forecast for China. Also, many major economies have had their growth predictions slashed with the unfolding global slowdown. Germany, for instance, has been in recession for 2 consecutive quarters. As India is less integrated in the global economy (its dynamic of growth is based on domestic consumption), it is better insulated from the slowdown than China whose economy is still largely reliant on export-led growth. In other words, India's economy is more resilient. China also has a trade war with the US to contend with which could fuel a further decline in export demand. Already it has dropped to the 3rd largest trading partner of the US from the 1st not long ago.
Vietnam and Bangladesh are not a significant threat for India as it does not aspire to embrace the export-led model so drastically. Bangladesh may export more garments but Indian production of garments is actually far higher due to the sheer size of the domestic market.
The higher growth in India's favour, compounded over time, will result in an Indian economy whose share of GDP increasingly catches up with China's.
8
Sounds "wonderful"... but it does cause one to wonder if they paid any attention to the Carbon Footprint that will result from the big parade to celebrate such military might. Speaking of which, it does cause one to wonder where China would be today without the $50B/month current account deficit provided by the USA for the past 20 years or so?
6
@Taoshum Not quite where they are today. Though net exports rarely contributed much to growth in BNP over the last decades. But all hail to the American consumer: the US consumes over 30% of the world's manufactured products, while producing only 13% of them. With ever cheaper and better Chinese consumer goods, the average American was also able to forget that the median income has hardly risen since 1980, while inequality has grown grotesquely.
4
@Taoshum
AFAIK, they have higher emission standards than US and the per capita Carbon Footprint is way smaller than that of US.
1
What China has achieved, like it or not, is an economic miracle transforming China from Sick man of Asia to the world’s second largest economy, but also in recent years a military apparatus that forbids the world military power from its mastery of the Asian Pacific – that does not ring 'conflict free' unfortunately.
Xi Jinping larger goal of Belt and Road influence across national boundaries has created opposition along with excitement and his belief that an authoritarian model can outperform Democratic systems is still open to dispute, but not unchallenged in the rising age of Populism.
And then there is Hong Kong, write it off or suppress it? The seventy-first years promises great excitement and hopefully nothing more than that. Maybe even resolution.
7
@wsmrer
It is not an economic miracle. It is called industrialization. Same thing happened in every country that industrialized. And China is late to the party due to its own political totalitarianism suppressing innovation.
2
I don't begrudge them anything, and I know they have great reasons to celebrate, but I just know that "someone" here will want to have a similar "really big parade, the biggest ever," strictly for personal gain and ego, at the expense of us who do pay taxes.
19
In 2007 China introduced its high speed rail initiative. 12 years later they now have 18,000 miles of rail service to 33 of their 34 provinces.
They don't just have a big military. They are very much like the U.S. was back in the 40's and 50's.
Their growth by any measure is remarkable, particularly for an autocracy.
44
@cherrylog754 Good comment. In my brief time in China recently I took a train from Beijing to Hangzhou, nearer to Shanghai, a comfortable ride at over 300 km /hr. Impressive, but... how much does that help dissenters in Hong Kong, the Uigher, those displaced from their homes or those languishing in Mr. Xi's prisons?
4
@cherrylog754- wow!! so we should give them kudos, and a pat on the back and continue on trading with them? I'd rather do business with a more kinder and gentler and poor country than with the thugs who are ruling China today.
2
Unfortunately for China, the belligerent foreign policy of Xi Jinping since 2013 has already been yielding negative dividends for some time.
After Xi assumed power, incursions of Chinese fighter jets into Japanese airspace increased year-on-year. China's claims over the Senkaku islands (which it calls Diaoyu) also intensified and it has sent ships and bomber aircraft near them.
In response, Japan has changed its post-war pacifist constitution to allow for lethal force. It has stationed a brigade of 2000 US-trained marines (an expeditionary force essentially) in the Senkakus and has quietly equipped its air force with supersonic anti-ship missiles to counter China's East Sea Fleet.
None of this means it is the end for China. But its path to power projection is now going to be harder as it has needlessly antagonised a neighbour.
Another Asian giant, India, had to contend with the Peoples' Liberation Army during a 73-day standoff in 2017. It has since inducted multiple Brahmos cruise missile squadrons in its Northeastern region, bordering China. It has successfully gotten T-72 and T-90 tanks to operate in the Himalayas on the Ladakh plateau and in Sikkim.
This is the cost of Xi Jinping's "diplomacy": more enemies for China than before, and a more difficult path for China's rise. India has nukes and there is talk Japan might be pushed to develop them one day. They have the 5th and 3rd largest navies respectively and are ramping up maritime cooperation on a war footing.
29
@Jack In contrast to Chinas top 1 per cent commanding around 33% of China’s wealth as you mention, in 2017 it was estimated that the US top 1 per cent owned around 40% of US wealth.
By extending your own logic, that would seem weigh heavily as an explanation of the political events unfolding in the US since your last election.
3
@Greg
Of course, the US has many problems and wealth inequality is a clear one. And yes, a cross-section of Americans have not seen an increase in their real wages for their professions in the past 4 decades.
However, this doesn’t reflect a problem with democracy so much as it does with America’s particular political setup. You see, almost every Western European country has had significant improvements in wealth inequality in the past generation (judging from changes in the Gini coefficient).
Democracy at least provides a channel for the masses to express their grievances. In authoritarian states like China there is no such channel. The grievances of the populace this have a tendency to manifest in sudden, large upheavals. The history of China is littered with peasant revolts like the Taiping Rebellion in the mid-19th century.
During the Cultural Revolution, Mao skilful channeled the wrath of the populace against political opponents.
At the height of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement, there were overt 1 million protesters. I don’t think 1 million Indians ever marched onto New Delhi in protest even though their country is decmocracy. If they really wanted, they can wait till the next election to vote out the incumbent. Unfortunately, Chinese do not possess these rights and may be more inclined to take matters into their own hands out of desperation.
China thus alludes to the “foreign devil” to divert citizen’s attention from socio-economic hardships.
6
It should be:
“Almost every Western European country has had significant improvements in wealth EQUALITY”
My apologies.
NYT's veiled attacks notwithstanding, China is undeniably stronger and more prosperous than ever before, of which the CCP rightfully takes credit.
15
China is a paper tiger. Always has been, always will be.
1
I sure hope it isn't bigger than trump's-or we will have to do it all over again.
6
Chinese empire.
America aspires to be a global empire.
3
Tremendous wealth obscenely concentrated in the hands of a few thousand families, and they expect "the people" - 1.4 billion of them - to "rally closer" to the Party?
Come the Revolution.....!
11
@Maurice Wolfthal
If you hadn't mentioned the population, I would have thought you were speaking of the U.S.A. Regardless, and in both cases, I agree with your concluding sentiment.
2
@Maurice Wolfthal
CCP has over 90 million members, the majority of which are middle-class common people.
@Maurice Wolfthal
PRC ranks higher with number of billionaires, but second in Inequality so can we expect that revolution too?
During four visits to Sichuan Province (Southwestern China) beginning in 2005 and most recent August this year....I have witnessed complete disinterest among the general population about the workings of the Central Communist Party .
The CCP has no concerns about Chinese citizens, their welfare, their lives. CCP only cares about world power, the domination over Chinese citizens, who have NO power, because they have NO VOTE !!!
19
@KEN
Not true the CCP is very concerned about popular support, or its opposite. But you are right the average citizen has almost no interests in politics, like their American counterparts, but US elections sometimes bring almost half to the polls.
Its entertainment.
6
@KEN
We have a vote, but it is meaningless. The majority "lost" in the last election. Perhaps the Chinese have learned what we are hesitant to understand: The vote is smoke and mirrors, yet a magical pacifier for those who haven't learned its true value.
3
Remember Tank Man.
36
“The weak link is not the lack of democracy,” Mr. Cheek said of the foundations of the party’s power. “It is the prospect of an economic downturn, of a failure to deliver to the ordinary citizen.”
I think what people do not realise is how insecure the Chinese Communist Party is about populist anger stemming from economic malaise. Peasants revolted against Louis XIV when bread was getting too expensive. The autocratic Shah of Iran spent billions on the military and lived an opulent life while 50% of Iranians remained illiterate. When oil prices plunged, legacy projects were abandoned and unemployment skyrocketed. Add to this high inflation which fuelled protests beginning the Iranian Revolution.
Revolutions commence when people become worse off than before and are increasingly unable to put food into their families' stomachs. Already, Chinese society is very unequal. Despite laudable economic progress and growth over decades, a third of China's wealth is now concentrated among the wealthiest 1% of citizens.
The long-term effects of the One Child Policy - which expedited development in the short-term - are also starting to be felt. China is confronted with an ageing population - a unique burden for a country still in the middle-income stage. This will drag down economic growth increasingly. In fact, there is a 50-50 chance China will fall into the "middle-income trap", characterised by economic stagnation, according to its own central bank head (a rare admission indeed).
11
@Jack
And the aging will be even more of a problem as the young emigrate as fast as possible through student visas.
1
The people under xi China and in its colonies and would-be provinces are indeed under "great and continuing struggle", but against, not for, xi's hideous and evil regime.
I particularly wish the people of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Tibet great success in their firm strides, and an eternal pass to non-handcuffed democracy and internet—and xi and his water-Carrie'r walls of iron and concrete to embrace the two forever.
35
Can’t wait for the next revolution ... which is precisely why the current regime is tightening its control all across the country, all the way to Hong Kong. The less secure a government, the more oppressive.
30
@mm.
Just look at the regimen in Washington DC!
9
Oh no! Trump's is going to want his military parade again, to prove his military is bigger and distract from his impeachment!
25
It always amazes me how there are some people who are unable to put aside their visceral hatred for Mr. Trump in order to focus on the issue at hand.
13
@David H Trump very much deserves every bit of hate that can be leveraged. And "visceral" hatred need not apply. The more intellectual one is, the better Trump's awful nature comes into focus.
6
@David H - You don't think that this event will have a deeper effect on our lying facsimile of a president than say, a briefing paper?
4
"It will involve 15,000 soldiers and sailors, 160 fighter jets, bombers and other aircraft, and 580 tanks and other weapons ..."
Yes, we get it, Mr. Xi.
Now please leave Tibet, and let Taiwan alone.
80
@Kai Why? Tibet and Taiwan are both part of China. Why should any nation leave any part of their territory alone, least of all the People's Republic of China?
Just because you don't feel comfortable to see China grows stronger by the day doesn't mean you or any country can split part of China away from her.
26
@Greg
In which part of history did China own Tibet?
In which part of history did China own Taiwan?
History tells us that Tibet was a tributary state to China NOT owned by China.
And in what dynasty did Taiwan come under the mainland's control?
6
@Greg
Communist Chinese is not China. China is a land of many languages, customs, and religions -- the Communists do not represent everyone.
My opinion is that the Communist Chinese should plot a peaceful course to share power with other Chinese of different political views.
I don't think a military/violent confrontation with any Chinese whether in HK or in Taiwan will result in long term stability.
5
Wishing my Chinese friends and all Chinese people have a memorable celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Chairman Mao and his long march revolutionary comrades will be remembered by all Chinese forever. In February, 1949 as a high school student I witnessed the Red Army marching in the Tiananmen Square and no one expected Mao and his comrades will be there 70 years later. Now China is the second most powerful economy of the world. China and Chinese people deserve to celebrate. Americans need to understand more about China and Chinese civilization. America and China were allies during WWII. Every Chinese student is eager to learn English and wanted to build a stronger friendship with America. A better and stronger US-China relation is better for the world. I was invited to Beijing to celebrate the 30th,40th,50th and 60th anniversaries and I am too old now to watch the military parades and fireworks so I send my best wishes through New York Times comments. Xi Jinping and other Chinese born after 1949 are lucky generations. Please don't forget presidents Nixon, Carter, H.W. Bush and other American leader's help in making China a modernized country. President Bill Clinton also helped China to become a member of WTO. But how many Chinese people are still remember this?
43
@Tysons2019
It's undeniable that China has achieved a lot in terms of economy over the past few decades. But money alone cannot win respects from other countries.
As a Chinese, I can tell you that not only Americans need to understand more about Chinese civilization, most of the Chinese people also need to understand the real Chinese civilization. China has been conquered by foreign tribes two times, one by Mongolian during 1271-1368 (Yuan dynasty), another one by Manchu during 1616-1912 (Qing dynasty). Are Chinese civilization being kept? If you are talking about writing systems and languages, then yes. But if you are talking about Chinese spirits, the way that ancient Chinese think and act, then no. Chinese civilization is dying. There are many things in common during these two dynasty and current communist party. All of them uses authoritarian model, they suppress smart people, and favor obedient people. Were these two dynasties strong? If you are talking about the area of territory, then yes, they were super huge and strong. But again, the mentality of the people was so weak that Qing dynasty writer Lu Xun never stop criticizing them.
The most successful dynasty throughout the whole Chinese civilization is Tang dynasty. It’s both physically and mentally strong. And it wins respect from neighbour countries like Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Persia. Tang dynasty should be the role model for modern China. But modern China is going far away from this role model.
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@Tysons2019 I would bet with confidence that there is a higher percentage of Chinese knowing Sino-US history than Americans. It is astonishing to see how ignorant Americans are about other countries and that they don’t even know about their ignorance. You can see some of them posting comments here.
Ignorance about the US and the world is one main reason why we have Trump today.
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Yes Chinese people built their country all thanks to American’s help...does it make sense? Sorry I thought U.S. is trying to destroy China now using a trade war
Peoples Republic of China is an evil regime, ruled not by the people, but the Communist Party. Its not a republic, but a dictatorship.
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@MoneyRules Clearly this is NOT how ordinary Chinese feel about their country and this "regime." If you go to China, you could see the heart-felt pride people have in the achievements of their country. It's not difficult to find that out. Calling all kinds of names of PRC is not going to stop China becoming stronger and more prosperous.
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@MoneyRules Your characterization of China demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding about it. It is black and white without any nuances. Yes the government is a dictatorship and crack down on freedom of speech but there are many villages in China with certain degree of self governing. Its government has also lifted more people out of poverty in the last 30 years than any other country in the world.
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@MoneyRules: And it's not even Communist...
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A despot crushing human rights while bringing prosperity.
Sound familiar?
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@MR
A despot crushing human rights not just in China but in all the areas it illegally occupies such as Tibet and the Xinjiang province.
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Happy 70th PRC. Thank you for lifting over half a billion people out of poverty. Success always draws haters.
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@Tom
Mao killed as many as 20 million people. He incarcerated and "reeducated" millions more. The PRC is currently committing genocide against the Uigher people, occupying Tibet and repressing Hong Kong.
Forgive me for not joining you in a chorus of Happy Birthday
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Success? China is one large Potemkin village. Whatever “success” they have achieved has been at the expense of the West. There is no there there.
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@Tom
By this logic, that means Donald Trump is also very successful in term of foreign policy so that he draws so many haters?
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My first reaction on seeing the headline was "Don't give Donald Trump any more parade ideas."
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@Larry Roth I too immediately saw Trump. Dufuses, both.
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@Larry Roth
Funny guy. Did you think the same about France and its Bastille Day ceremonies? Or does Emmanuel Macron get a pass because he's a cute progressive?
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@Jason w
He gets a pass because France is not threatening its citizens or its neighbors.
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Maybe Donald can go and enjoy the parade.
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@db2
And maybe they can keep him
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Trump will want a parade, bigger than China's. He's a megalomaniac. I also won't congratulate the CCP on its grand celebration. The people of China have suffered terribly at the hands of the communist party, just as they did under Japanese occupation and at the hands of the nationalist Chinese government.
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North Korea lite.
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@David H Your observation fitted during Mao's time. As with many opinions in DC it is now completely out of date. Try visiting -and commenting on - China of today.
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I just did.
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