I don't pay too much attention to China, but, you might say, I find that sometimes China is paying attention to me. First, we had China announcing its "One Belt One Road" initiative. This initiative aims to upgrade infrastructure linking China to its neighbors, particularly to the west.
Then there is President Xi Jinping deciding to make himself president-for-life.
This seems to mean that China is returning to its pre-Mao traditions. Used to be that China had an Emperor, or Son of Heaven, that ruled until he died. And his heir ruled until the dynasty was removed at the start of a Time of Troubles. And it used to be that China operated as a kind of spider in the middle of a tributary web, maintaining its integrity with tributary neighboring states that acknowledged Chinese supremacy in return for a quiet life.
I suppose that, after the turmoil of the last two centuries, it is natural for China to return to its roots, but I wonder if it is really such a good idea.
Here's what I think.
I think that a government-centered infrastructure push like the One Belt One Road initiative is likely to be an incredibly wasteful and corrupt operation rather like the West's policy of foreign aid to Africa. It won't help the target countries, but it will solidify the power of the local tin-horn dictators as US cold war policy managed to do.
And I don't think that China needs a president-for-life. I don't think anyone needs a president-for-life. Imagine if Barack Obama had become president-for-life. That would have meant that all of his foolish and unjust notions of "fundamental transformation" would have stayed in place. It would have meant that the campus rape panic would have been intensified, the snowflake campus culture would have ended in an Ice Age, the Obamacare nationalization of healthcare would have intensified, net-neutrality would have intensified, and the slow economic growth consequent on the politicizing of everything would have continued. And above all, the natural intensification of injustice resulting from any clique remaining in political power would have continued.
Look, I'm not a particular fan of democracy. I think the voters are idiots, and I believe the politicians are worse. But with regular elections you get periodic change elections where the voters throw out the current rascals and replace them with new rascals. Also, you get the chance for the people to tell its ruling class that it is really screwing up, as with Trump and Brexit and the populist surge in Europe.
The regular changing of the guard weakens the corruption and injustice of the incumbent party and provides an interregnum where the new government undoes some of the previous injustices before proceeding inevitably to create new injustices. China has had the same gang in power for the last 70 years, and it has got to be hurting.
Now I don't know if alternation in power using the model of western-style democracy would work in China. I respect the Chinese people and their ability to figure out what would work. I just believe in the concept that you need to alternate political power between contending parties. If you don't there is no way for the people to register their grievances and petition for redress short of open rebellion and revolution, and who needs that?
Now there is one interesting aspect of the One Belt One Road initiative that you may not have thought of. It comes from Jesus in Beijing, a report on Christianity in China by David Aikman. One of his key themes in the belief of Chinese Christians in the Return to Jerusalem.
In the Chinese Christian narrative, Christianity has migrated westward across the world, from the Levant to Europe and then to the Americas, and thence to East Asia. Chinese Christians believe it is their destiny to complete the westward march of Christianity with a return to Jerusalem. Hmm. Now what would that mean to all the Islamic -stans that presently exist between China and Jerusalem? Is the real meaning of the One Belt One Road the Christianizing of the Muslim belt by the westward venturing Chinese?
You may very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
Then there is President Xi Jinping deciding to make himself president-for-life.
This seems to mean that China is returning to its pre-Mao traditions. Used to be that China had an Emperor, or Son of Heaven, that ruled until he died. And his heir ruled until the dynasty was removed at the start of a Time of Troubles. And it used to be that China operated as a kind of spider in the middle of a tributary web, maintaining its integrity with tributary neighboring states that acknowledged Chinese supremacy in return for a quiet life.
I suppose that, after the turmoil of the last two centuries, it is natural for China to return to its roots, but I wonder if it is really such a good idea.
Here's what I think.
I think that a government-centered infrastructure push like the One Belt One Road initiative is likely to be an incredibly wasteful and corrupt operation rather like the West's policy of foreign aid to Africa. It won't help the target countries, but it will solidify the power of the local tin-horn dictators as US cold war policy managed to do.
And I don't think that China needs a president-for-life. I don't think anyone needs a president-for-life. Imagine if Barack Obama had become president-for-life. That would have meant that all of his foolish and unjust notions of "fundamental transformation" would have stayed in place. It would have meant that the campus rape panic would have been intensified, the snowflake campus culture would have ended in an Ice Age, the Obamacare nationalization of healthcare would have intensified, net-neutrality would have intensified, and the slow economic growth consequent on the politicizing of everything would have continued. And above all, the natural intensification of injustice resulting from any clique remaining in political power would have continued.
Look, I'm not a particular fan of democracy. I think the voters are idiots, and I believe the politicians are worse. But with regular elections you get periodic change elections where the voters throw out the current rascals and replace them with new rascals. Also, you get the chance for the people to tell its ruling class that it is really screwing up, as with Trump and Brexit and the populist surge in Europe.
The regular changing of the guard weakens the corruption and injustice of the incumbent party and provides an interregnum where the new government undoes some of the previous injustices before proceeding inevitably to create new injustices. China has had the same gang in power for the last 70 years, and it has got to be hurting.
Now I don't know if alternation in power using the model of western-style democracy would work in China. I respect the Chinese people and their ability to figure out what would work. I just believe in the concept that you need to alternate political power between contending parties. If you don't there is no way for the people to register their grievances and petition for redress short of open rebellion and revolution, and who needs that?
Now there is one interesting aspect of the One Belt One Road initiative that you may not have thought of. It comes from Jesus in Beijing, a report on Christianity in China by David Aikman. One of his key themes in the belief of Chinese Christians in the Return to Jerusalem.
In the Chinese Christian narrative, Christianity has migrated westward across the world, from the Levant to Europe and then to the Americas, and thence to East Asia. Chinese Christians believe it is their destiny to complete the westward march of Christianity with a return to Jerusalem. Hmm. Now what would that mean to all the Islamic -stans that presently exist between China and Jerusalem? Is the real meaning of the One Belt One Road the Christianizing of the Muslim belt by the westward venturing Chinese?
You may very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
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