2nd September 2006

Mike,

It looks that the posting you have made may be an extract from something greater. The link you quote has not so far opened for me so I have only the posting to go on.

It seems that the author is suggesting that China is in some way a special place compared to elsewhere but I don't entirely accept this.

There are of course, important differences between China and the West but there are equally important differences between India and the West; South America and the West and most of Africa and the West. Thus China and its differences are not unique nor particularly unusual. As with any other country, the better you know China and its laws and customs the more successful youre likely to be in doing business.

The differences between China and its Asian neighbours are more likely to be quite recent and rooted in the period where China shunned the rest of the world whereas it s Asian neighbours did not.

Chinas social groupings are generally associated with ethnic or tribal divisions. Whilst these may not be too territorial in their recognition of provincial boundaries, ethnic groupings are nevertheless semi-territorial because tribes and ethnic groups tend to have originated in specific areas of the country. These areas are more often defined by climate or geography rather than man-made borders. Americans and others from the west tend not to lump themselves into ethnic groups beyond that of nationality but are more territorial or in some instances, political. Chinese people do not generally offer up their ethnic origins to foreigners, though they make no secret of it when asked.

Taking the subject of marriage, I would comment that many developing countries also have social systems where parents are influential in the selection of their childrens marriage partners. Next door in India, arranged marriages are the norm among most of the population. Nearly all Muslim countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia encourage arranged marriages. So parental influence on Chinese marriages is not unusual.

Moving on to schooling, it is a fact that in most countries, education is a matter of duty for parents to become involved in. Parents are responsible for their children and have to sign various documents connected with schooling. Then they may have to pay fees or buy books and uniforms, pay for hostel accommodation, transport to and from school and suchlike. Thus the choice of school is very often dictated by how much it will cost the student's parents. Again, this is not a Chinese phenomenon but one that faces so many parents the world over.

It is also correct to say that outward signs of Western influence among the Chinese young does not mean they have rejected contemporary Chinese values Yet!

However, for China, it is in my opinion a sign that must be taken account of. The young in any country are the group that will become the next generations leaders and trend-setters. In China, young people are generally brought up quite strictly toeing current ideological and social lines. They are subject to significant parental influence and discipline. In short they are far better behaved than their Western counterparts and less likely to create trouble. They are more malleable whilst under their parents thumbs and still at school or college where heavy influence is also exerted upon them.

I think, therefore, that it is relevant to look at the currently cosmetic activities of the younger generation in their choice of clothes, food, and entertainment. Then compare it with the activities of the next older generation. In the various Special Administrative Regions in China they have become about as capitalist in their thinking and money-making abilities as it is possible to get whilst still being in China.

As the present generation of juveniles moves closer to self-determination, they will carry with them not only the Western influences; such as eating McDonalds fast food: wearing Western clothes: listening to Western music and watching Western movies - but many aspects of Western influence that have not yet surfaced among them. They will, for example, take Western infuence on wealth retention; materialsm, elitism, and the very essence of Western governance too. Thus, whilst the younger generation may not yet have rejected Chinese values, many of them will do so when they become independent of current discipline, or at best will greatly temper those values with their own ideas and perceptions. As a consequence, society will almost certainly change.

In business too, virtually everywhere it is essential for commercial companies and governmental organisations to be managed from within a hierarchy. China is no exception and it is probably their experience of living their lives within a strict hierarchy of power that makes them so successful in business when many of the petty restrictions have been removed.

Everywhere I have lived or visited to conduct business I have found that the people I have dealt with have also been influenced by their personal circumstances, education and background. Thus here again, the diversity that this imparts to Chinese business exists in all countries and is by no means unique to China. Just about everywhere there is a perceptible difference in the attitudes and work ethic between state-employed people and those working for commercial concerns. The former do not generally have the immediacy of a profit target to aim for and thus there is less incentive to work harder or more efficiently.

China, however, is disadvantaged even now by the effects of ideological fervour in the past. This held China back for years whilst the rest of the world surged ahead in all social and technical aspects whilst China languished in the dark. Therefore, China has to run fast in order to catch up and still has some way to go.

Many multinational companies are beating paths to China because of the changes in Chinese thinking that have enabled them to make profits and repatriate them back home. Also, they recognise that there is a growing pool of young Chinese people with management potential who are already imbued with the Western principle where quantified success breeds proportional reward. Such people carry their companies to greater success and expect to share in a greater personal reward. These people will continue to come in the future from the ranks of youngsters who today frequent McDonalds and who surf the Internet at home and wear Western clothes. This is a classic way in which societies evolve the world over.

I agree that China was the subject of numerous interventions by a variety of foreign countries in the past. However, so were France, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom and many others. Indeed, many of these countries were practically ruined by wars and annexations. Some even vanished altogether. So I think that China had its fair share of outside interference as did many other countries but has come through all of that very successfully. More serious and lasting damage has been caused to China by its own actions in the past and it is that damage that China is now repairing.

If China still does hold foreigners in such deep suspicion, then it seems very strange, if not dangerous, to open their Country so wide and invitingly to foreign multinational organisations. If they so wish these organisations can inflict more damage on China than could an army! They can even inflict damage without wishing to do so by way of the social and economic changes they impart by being there at all!

I do not wish to become embroiled in discussion about how America and Americans are now viewed by the rest of the world or specifically by China and the Chinese. I will simply say that in my opinion America is now reaping the whirlwind of its arrogant and self-centred attitudes towards foreign policy in the past. That this rubs off on individual Americans abroad is a pity but regrettably that attitude is here to stay.

As a foreign resident in China for a few years, I compare it with the many other countries I have visited often or lived in during the past thirty years. I see in China a country that has improved far beyond many others. It has left its equally populous neighbours of India and Pakistan far behind. China is rapidly progressing to the point where it will replace the United States as the leading world power both economically and militarily in the foreseeable future. China is gaining the respect of much of the rest of the world whereas the United States is losing it.

In my time here, I have come to regard China as the country that has had perhaps the greatest influence on my thinking. Doubtless there are exceptions to what I am about to say and maybe a number of dissenters too. However this is a discussion forum!

I see the Chinese government genuinely trying to make their Country into a better place and have already done this to a huge extent. They do not pose a threat to any other country nor do they seem to want this. Their society is largely safe and stable and they appear to take care of those who are dispossessed. They educate practically all of their young and they look after all of their elderly who have no extended family.

It is easy to point fingers at areas where their performance is less than favourable but this can also be done in the best run countries of the West.

Looking at the Chinese jigsaw in progress as various pieces are put in their places, the big picture is even now clear enough. China is already a decent country in which to live, work and enjoy reasonable freedoms that do not threaten the security of the state. However, despite its achievements, I do not see China as anything particularly 'special'

John