I lived off and on in Suzhou China in the past couple of years. I stayed anywhere between a month to up to 4 months. I am not an American. I am a Canadian so my comments on America are based on other people's testimony from those who live there and have worked there.
China's idea is basically this; we want to be left alone. You show us how you do it, we will take that and adapt it to our culture. When visiting China, they want to be like Americans. They sing John Denver in the karaoke bars! They know who John Wayne is. They love the cowboy western scene.
Typical western views are; everyone else is wrong, it's only our way or the highway. This is a good example of the politics in the US right now with the ongoing fighting and nothing getting done. This is also a good example of how the US sees the rest of the world (not all Americans of course).
I think comparing China to Nazi Germany in terms of how fast and efficient they became a strong economy is okay. However, do not think in anyway that China's human rights or culture are as bad as Nazi Germany's. China does not have the best human rights, however, what the United States and the rest of the world does not seem to understand is that you cannot go from a communist dictatorship to democracy in a snap. Russia is the best example of this, and so is Iraq. It took the Western part of the world over thousands of years through war and revolutions to get to where we are today, and to show up with a book on "How to be wealthy, have religious freedom and rights in less than 10 steps" is insane. When you think of China, think of North America in the 1900s.
Take another example, the environment. Everyone is blaming China for all the smog and pollution. Although the damage they caused is already done, in the next 10-50 years they will be more ahead in environmental regulations than the rest of the world. China has more money invested in alternative energies than anyone else. http://www.comhaha.com/blog/518621-artificial-sun-to-enter-a-decisive-phase-program-funded-10-of-china/ China was also the first country to put a restriction on how many children a family could have. The rest of the world has done nothing to address that issue, and right there by reducing how many children are being born greatly reduces the carbon footprint.
America had the same vision in the 50s as China does now and that is the building of the middle class. Whether there empire lasts 100 years or 3 years, they want what the rest of the western world wants; cars, microwaves, ovens, houses, etc. You wait as China's population demands more cars, and watch your gasoline skyrocket. The difference is, China will be the first major power to switch from gasoline powered cars to something else, and I'll bet money it'll be a source they can produce and make, and have control of, thus lowering the cost to their own people.
The other thing that's made them so profitable is that every 10 years they aren't involved in military conflicts. War does bring money to certain people, but the war in Iraq has seriously decimated your own economy in ways, effecting social programs and health care.
Just my 2 cents, with a bit of added experience in there. The world is complicated and may you live in interesting times.
China's idea is basically this; we want to be left alone. You show us how you do it, we will take that and adapt it to our culture. When visiting China, they want to be like Americans. They sing John Denver in the karaoke bars! They know who John Wayne is. They love the cowboy western scene.
Typical western views are; everyone else is wrong, it's only our way or the highway. This is a good example of the politics in the US right now with the ongoing fighting and nothing getting done. This is also a good example of how the US sees the rest of the world (not all Americans of course).
I think comparing China to Nazi Germany in terms of how fast and efficient they became a strong economy is okay. However, do not think in anyway that China's human rights or culture are as bad as Nazi Germany's. China does not have the best human rights, however, what the United States and the rest of the world does not seem to understand is that you cannot go from a communist dictatorship to democracy in a snap. Russia is the best example of this, and so is Iraq. It took the Western part of the world over thousands of years through war and revolutions to get to where we are today, and to show up with a book on "How to be wealthy, have religious freedom and rights in less than 10 steps" is insane. When you think of China, think of North America in the 1900s.
Take another example, the environment. Everyone is blaming China for all the smog and pollution. Although the damage they caused is already done, in the next 10-50 years they will be more ahead in environmental regulations than the rest of the world. China has more money invested in alternative energies than anyone else. http://www.comhaha.com/blog/518621-artificial-sun-to-enter-a-decisive-phase-program-funded-10-of-china/ China was also the first country to put a restriction on how many children a family could have. The rest of the world has done nothing to address that issue, and right there by reducing how many children are being born greatly reduces the carbon footprint.
America had the same vision in the 50s as China does now and that is the building of the middle class. Whether there empire lasts 100 years or 3 years, they want what the rest of the western world wants; cars, microwaves, ovens, houses, etc. You wait as China's population demands more cars, and watch your gasoline skyrocket. The difference is, China will be the first major power to switch from gasoline powered cars to something else, and I'll bet money it'll be a source they can produce and make, and have control of, thus lowering the cost to their own people.
The other thing that's made them so profitable is that every 10 years they aren't involved in military conflicts. War does bring money to certain people, but the war in Iraq has seriously decimated your own economy in ways, effecting social programs and health care.
Just my 2 cents, with a bit of added experience in there. The world is complicated and may you live in interesting times.