CAN CHINA AVOID THE SOVIET UNION'S FATE?

he People's Republic of China likes to compare itself with the United States. Both governments were forged to throw off the imperial yoke. Both are amalgams of many races and nationalities. Both are great continental powers capable of harnessing immense resources to promote national agendas around the world.
     Beijing's bosses cite these parallels to justify China's ambition of returning Taiwan to the fold -- forcibly if necessary -- and violently suppressing movements for Tibetan independence, Moslem separatism and religious tolerance. The party line: "In a few decades we will be as prosperous, unified and democratic as you Americans."
     Unfortunately, some observers see closer parallels to the former Soviet Union.
     Founded in 1910 to free Russian peasants from oppressive landowners and a weak imperial government, the Soviet government quickly and ruthlessly expanded into a superpower that rivaled the United States in military might and reach. On top of nearly 300 million citizens of several dozen captive nationalities, the Soviet Union became the puppetmasters of virtually every Eastern European government. By 1989 it was buckling under the burden of superpower competition. In 1991 the communists lost power to the reformist Yeltsin. The Soviet Union broke apart into Russia and a dozen independent republics. Today Russia is a nation of 150 million struggling to build a capitalist economy from the rubble of the communist meltdown.
     Among the Soviets' earliest converts were Mao Tsetung, Zhou Enlai and other young Chinese intellectuals who saw in communism salvation for the Chinese people from western imperialism and internal corruption. Mao's long struggle against Chiang Kaishek and the Kuomingtang would have ended disasterously without the support of dozens of ethnic minorities in northwestern China who believed his promise of ultimate political autonomy. Their help proved more valuable to Mao than the billions in American aid and direct military assistance to Chiang. By 1949 the Kuomingtang had fled to Taiwan and the PRC ruled the mainland.
     Beijing's bosses have been as ruthless as the Soviets in consolidating territory and suppressing separatist movements. But they have been far more successful in creating a functioning economy. They began capitalist reforms in 1979. By 2001 China's economy had become free enough to enter the World Trade Organization. For the past two decades it has grown at an average annual rate of 9%. Few of China's 1.25 billion go hungry and about 125 million enjoy living standards comparable to Malaysia and the Philippines. By some measure China has just surpassed Japan in GDP and will surpass the U.S. by 2025.
     But China's future as a united nation is far from assured.
     Even assuming peaceful reunification with Taiwan and victory over Tibetan separatists, Beijing's leaders face some big hurdles. They must integrate a billion subsistence-level farmers and workers into the consumer economy of the east coast or face ethnic discontent on a scale that would dwarf America's racial strife of the 1960s. Yet burdening the developed regions could breed separatist sentiment in Guangdong, Fujien, Manchuria and other regions. Over 100 languages and dialects are spoken in China. Long-suppressed religious minorities are becoming better organized thanks to the internet and other communications technology.
     Are China's prospects for staying united more like those of the U.S. or of the former Soviet Union?

(Updated )

jing cha.

china has been closed to the rest of the world because of people like you. and I do hope that your children with your lovely chinese yum yum wife of your's will grow up, to despise your racist a$$. believe me, on this one, adolf.

maybe the united states will war with china someday.... with chinese made missiles, LOL. Sleep tight, and dream on. I know you folks have tried oh so hard, keeping us down... and it will be remembered, until the time comes cash in on it. Hell, I did, and will again. Me thinks it's better to think of america as... free for the taking. and for the people there now... a bunch of indians. feeling better now, sitting bull?

Perhaps marrying a chinese woman reveals more than you care to admit.

Have a nice day :-)

kimchi.................½
   Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 06:46:21 (PDT)
JING CHA(a.k.a. black male from NYC),

Do you think you can simply hide behind the routine of "I-am-engaged-to-be married-to-a-Chinese-woman" to shield yourself? How lame can you get?

I've met sooooo many of your type. People like you always tout how you are DATING or MARRYING an asian woman, but your very actions and words betray the fact that you see your "Shand Dong-nese" girlfriend as nothing but an exotic toy/conquest among a "backward" people that you like to exploit and harass freely on this board. Who do you think you are fooling? You are NOT the "geophysicist" that you claim. You ARE an anti-Chinese bigotted idiot.

This tired routine of announcing that you have an Asian girlfriend/wife at the same time that you are insulting other Asians is not only WEIRD, but STUPID! You think you are displaying how great you are just because you are about to play with an easy little slut from an impoverished region of China? If you had any skill, why are you not able to get a real woman rather than village girls from a country that you so despise? Shooting fishes in a barrel is sure easy, ain't it? But you are GRAVELY MISTAKEN if you see all Chinese as fishes in a barrel.
positron
   Friday, June 14, 2002 at 20:55:28 (PDT)
BABBLING BOY

nice 'comeback' on that last one).

thanx *BOWS*
JING CHA
   Friday, June 14, 2002 at 15:16:11 (PDT)
AC Dropout

-I appreciate your argument and your failure to try and ATTACK me like babbling (great name for an arguer) or positron who can do nothing but quarrel. for the time being I will reply to only you.


My salary and the fact that im into buisness in Shanghai makes Chinese buisnessmen who need partners for joint ventures interested in visiting me. When I was in Shanghai University studying, I was approached by 4 such buisnessmen at one point who wanted to see if I would invest in their computer shop on Nanjing road. I wasnt interested because from what I saw, they were selling high priced Celerons. I would NEVER buy a Celeron. Only BRAND Named P4's. I think they took it personally when I told them I was more interested in NEC. I bought a gas Plasma Tv made by NEC and was impressed. Have you seen the NEC 61' GasPlasmaTv? It is sooo hot. It accepts ANY cables you have even USB.
about $20,000 with tax. Flat panel wall mounted.


As for the STD issue, Ill let you in on a secret. over 90% of the Barbershops in China and southeast Asia are brothels. They do Excellent buisness even though some of them have never cut a locke of hair. Ill leave it like that.


I have to disagree with you on the Male/Female ratio. Females always outnumber men in a natural, unmanipulated environment. The reason? It takes 9-months for human gestation and men can impregnate multiple females so there is no downtime in population growth. Furthermore, males tend to fight for females which results in many either dying or otherwise losing the right to procreate. I swear to you this is true. Not opinion. This can be found in the work of Charles Darwin.


"I am 100% certain that pollution there is affecting the future generations."
In China, there are almost no emmission laws. The Citys are extremely dusty and smog clouded. Ive been commisioned to do research there by my the NSA, my University and Fudan University.
I will get more exact numbers by December for myself and write a A.E.I.S statement. The pay for this research is ok and I dont have to pay airfare.
there are Heavalent Chromiums, Mercury pollution (nervous system damaging), water pollution like you wouldnt believe, lead poisoning,etc,etc.
I have more to say than I can put here. You sound resonable enough. If you really wanna hear my observations, you (only you) may email me. Other Emails will be rejected.

hkpdjingcha
hkpdjingcha@yahoo.com    Friday, June 14, 2002 at 11:42:12 (PDT)

JING CHA,

It is obvious if we became competitors in the same market, I would drive you out of business. I built my company from the ground up and I enjoy what I do.
You best pray to your maker I'm not the reason why your salary dropped, because coincidently that's about the same time period my Shanghai Office opened and has been growing ever since.

I think you should focus on the talent of you management team. Not the geographic location of their birth. Nigerian, Shanghainese if they are not good, they're just not good.

Because of the lack of racial diversity in China. I would not recommend a foriegner to oversea the day-to-day operations. The language and cultural gap will be too wide to bridge. And if you are black as some posters suggest. I would recommend you only participate at the highest level of the company and let a native sort out the day to day details.

Shandong has hundreds of textile factories if not thousands. What do you mean by investing? Shares, Angel investing, openning a factory.
AC Dropout
   Friday, June 14, 2002 at 10:20:27 (PDT)

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