Stadium designer blasts China Olympics - 12 Aug 07

Yes, but the Mao era is important to today, because if one wants to commend the CCP for lifting people from poverty or feeding people, one has to admit they created mass starvation themselves. And to this day, these things are hidden and forbidden subjects in China. If one suggests that food is better than freedom, it must certainly take these things into account. We can applaud the shiny veneer of the CCP on the outside, but there is a dark inside they continue to hide.

But what will revealing these secret do? People will realize their government is authoritarian, self-interested and out of touch. Many Chinese people already know this; there is a burgeoning middle class and intellectual community. Many people have an archaic idea of a fenced off China. Yes in many respects China is still relative isolated, but it's hardly North Korea. It's not hard to obtain information freely in modern China, it's incredibly easy in fact; a result of China's open door policy.

Every single one of my friends that is 20something or younger has no idea what happened during the June 4 incident (Tiananmen Massacre). I showed them videos from youtube, and in every situation, especially ones that are super "i love china, the government is the best" think twice. It's strange to see those days happened, and you had no idea.

Of course. The text books don't tell them that. It's no doubt that Chinese text books and schools spew propaganda. But many Chinese keep out of politics because many are wary of it as a result of an authoritarian government. But if they made the effort, they could easily dig up information on the June 4th incident. Also the Tienanmen Massacre was not a unilateral CCP decision. There was opposition from within the CCP itself too; for example Secretary General Zhao Ziyang of the CCP.

The fact is this; the CCP is allowing China to become wealthier and more powerful internationally. And for that, I applaud them. Because I'm not naive enough to think that human rights and democracy secures peace and prosperity. Look at Africa. Democracy and human rights hardly delivered there. The system in China is working and delivering. So why break a system that works. Why kill the golden goose that feeds you? But I do value people like you who criticize the CCP. Only then can they improve.

Many people still remember the deaths, destruction and starvation of the Maoist era. Any many will also tell you this. That they'd trade their freedom of speech for food to line their bodies. Because, in the end, ideology and beliefs do not line stomachs. The China today, even the CCP, realizes this. That's why the CCP opened up. It has already announced that it will move towards democracy, but not a 'western democracy'. China will continue to be more democratic with time. Watch this space.

Sorry for the long post, but I feel a lot of people are incredibly idealistic when it comes to international politics. So my point is basically that development, not human rights, is what improves the lives of people. Human rights comes with development as a package. Only the rich can sit around a table and discuss 'human rights' and politics. The poor worry about food. And this is why I support the CCP, not because its an authoritarian regime who persecutes its own people, but b/c of economics.

But i think this is the problem of China today. In sum, the entire system is not considering the poor people. They are designed to help the rich get richer. The countryside is ridiculously poor. In most societies, there needs to be more freedom, transparency for people to organize and fight for their rights. This means improved working conditions, dont dump toxic waste in my water supply, give me help if i get cancer. In China, this isnt happening, and there seems no real plan to change it.

It is being addressed. The countryside poverty problem is being addressed with the 'Go West' policy and investment in the boom town of Congqing in Western China to shift manufacturing there. China only last year introduced a minimum wage and working conditions guidelines. And China is investing heavily in green technologies. In fact it is going to be number 2 in wind energy, second only to US. The CCP realizes that with current practice, the earth is unable to accommodate a wealthy China.

Deng Xiaoping also stated that in the initial stages of opening China up that a few would be richer than many. This can only be addressed with time. Inequality is the reality in every developing country. In fact the inequality in China is actually less than the inequality in the USA. Where 1% of the population control 50% of total wealth.