Reason Number 38 - The ‘Big’ Factor

Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 73

"Every national entity, no matter what the size of land area or number of people, feels its particular national interests are significant, perhaps even unique. Even the smallest countries in the world feel their own problems are big. Certainly no exception, China, since 1949, has discovered its own unique set of big considerations.

China’s perception of itself as an emerging and developing nation has inherited many difficulties and paradoxes from its past history. But modern day leaders have in many cases exacerbated some of these ‘traditional’ problems, leading the country into a maze where they are forever trying to find the way out, often with a limited handful of solutions.

Part of the problem is that China wants development now. It wants modernity now. And it wants a technologically developed society now. But the breakneck speed at which the leaders are driving the country causes them to miss the road signs warning of danger ahead. A few of these warning signs, such as false claims of ‘growth’ which resulted in great famine of the 1950s, Mao’s encouragement of large families, and again Mao’s encouragement of students to become Red Guards, heralding the start of the ten-year ‘Cultural Revolution,’ show a lack of insight into the simple notion of cause and effect in China, which is often followed by big problems."

And most of all, China wants money now. That’s why there will be no end to the nation’s problems and scandals. You can’t ‘cure’ greed. You can’t slay cupidity.

That’s why China learned nothing from the 2004 scandal where hundreds of babies were hospitalized and many died after being fed substandard milk powder. There was a lot of fuss and hurried promises of serious action at the time – and then everyone forgot about it.

So here we are in 2008 and much the same thing is happening again, a company selling shit quality milk, eye on the profit and fuck the danger. More babies in hospital. More death. But more money too, and that’s the point. The same thing will happen next year, and the year after. 

Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 74

"Per dollar of GDP, China uses five times more energy than the US average and an astonishing 11.5 times the Japanese average in its industrial production, countries that China wishes to emulate in order to establish its world-leader status.

Let’s put that in dollars and cents. As the China Economic Review explains, a single kilogram of coal used as energy to create industrial products in China earns only 36 US cents worth of GDP in China. The same kilogram of coal if used in the Japanese industrial sector would generate US$5.58 worth of GDP.

Even the most glorious of all resources is being eroded faster than nature can possibly handle. The Qinghai-Tibet plateau was once home to one of the world’s largest alpine wetlands. Yet in recent years, this area – also one of the planet’s most important areas in terms of biodiversity – has shrunk by 40% due to human activities. A single lake in this region, the Xingcuo Lake, used to span 469 hectares. Now it covers 10. Desertification is increasing at 12% a year, with another 135,333 hectares under threat of desertification. Laobuza, a Tibetan who was born and grew up in this area said 'There are now very few swamps in the reserve. I could ride my horse for 50 kilometers and not find one.'”