Not playing fair
Sir – Xinghai Fang’s assertions are accurate as far as they go: China is the dominant economic and military power in the East and its people work harder and longer than most. Yet he ignores some important realities. He says ‘its huge economic success … is singularly due to the adoption of a market economy’ – this is only half the truth. What of the lack of fair wages and workers’ rights, the suppression of protest, ignoring of workplace safety, immense environmental damage, currency manipulation, and massive intellectual property theft – where do you think the ability to build the Boeing 737 he mentions will come from? China’s economy needs to grow at 7-8 per cent a year just to create the jobs needed for new entrants to the workforce or, in the view of some Chinese officials, to maintain national stability. Thus, China’s leadership will seek to maintain economic growth whatever it takes as their survival depends on it.
