A Place of Elaborate Contradictions

China is a complex place and like the traffic that I still walk through with trepidation, it seems that opposing forces are propelling towards one another from all directions. In near collision are the ancient social ideology of Confucianism, the control of a one-party government, and the embrace of economic reform that is transforming China into a capitalist society.

After four days of seminars with Jim Arnold on the history and current issues of China, along with our readings and seminars prior to coming, our last seminar with Jim on the future of China was a fitting capstone. Joined by a panel of business leaders in Shanghai, friends of Jim, we listened and debated the complex questions facing China at this time of huge intersection:

• Will China evolve to a two party democracy?

• What will be the primary belief system / ideology in the future of China?

• What will be the key drivers for China’s future foreign policy?

One of the panelists, Jeff Song, Ph.D. is Corporate Vice President and President for Ingersoll Rand China. Earlier in the week he had been to Beijing to join a team of Chinese business leaders in conversation with Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry about American/Chinese business and environmental issues. He and fellow panelist James Wu, former General Manager at Honeywell, had both been the age of or students during the Cultural Revolution. They had sobering stories to share of that era when among other upheavals in the society, all universities were shut down. Jeff went from being a university student to working on a farm near the Chinese/Russian border for a decade. These two were exceptions to what happened to most of their generation, they survived the upheaval, returned to finish their educations and become successful businessmen.

Jin Dai and James Wu, both in their late thirties or so, represented the perspective of a younger generation in the conversation. All four spoke frankly about the “superficial harmony but underlying tensions” of China today. The timing of our trip corresponds with the twentieth anniversary of Tiananmen Square in June of 1989 which makes these particularly sensitive days in China. Police presence is up in sensitive areas, we are told, and blogging spots have been restricted or shut down to discourage the exchange of ideas and social organizing. Thus the limits on my access to Blogspot. China is clearly in the midst of huge economic reform. This reform has not yet extended to politics and since Tiananmen, some feel, the country is less tolerant and social unrest has increased.