What Do You Really Want from Us?
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Photos related to sale of opium in China during the Qian Dynasty. Hover your mouse to pause the slide and read photo descriptions.
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When we were the Sick Man of Asia, we were called the Yellow Peril.
When we are billed to be the next Superpower, we are called The Threat.
When we closed our doors, you smuggled opium to open markets.
In 1729, Yongzheng Emperor 雍正帝 of the Qing Dynasty issued an edict
banning the smoking of opium, making the world's first anti-drug law.
When we embrace Free Trade, you blame us for taking away your jobs.
When we were falling apart, you marched in your troops and wanted your fair share.
When we tried to put the broken pieces back together again, Free Tibet you screamed. It was an Invasion!
When we tried Communism, you hated us for being Communist.
When we embrace Capitalism, you hate us for being Capitalist.
When we have a billion people, you said we were destroying the planet.
When we tried limiting our numbers, you said we abused human rights.
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When we loan you cash, you blame us for your national debts.
When we build our industries, you call us Polluters.
When we sell you goods, you blame us for global warming.
When we buy oil, you call it exploitation and genocide.
But when you go to war for oil, you call it liberation.
When we were lost in chaos and rampage, you demanded rules of law.
When we uphold law and order against violence, you call it violating human rights.
When we were silent, you said you wanted us to have free speech.
When we are silent no more, you say we are brainwashed-xenophobics.
Why do you hate us so much, we asked.
No, you answered, we don't hate you.
We don't hate you either.
But, do you understand us?
Of course we do, you said. We have AFP, CNN and BBC's...
What do you really want from us?
Think hard first, then answer...
Because you only get so many chances.
Enough is Enough. Enough Hypocrisy for This One World.
We want One World, One Dream, and Peace on Earth.
This Big Blue Earth is Big Enough for all of Us.
When Japan was economically successful, it was Japan bashing. Now its China bashing when China is getting a bit successful. If you haven't heard of China bashing before, the above poem pretty much summarised it.
In the following paragraphs, I'll try to clarify some of the facts and mindsets about China, hoping they can help some people to understand. The West (US & formerly Europe and Britain) practise hegemony and don't seem to care what the third world feel at all. Third world countries have a right to grow, be strong and be successful too!
In spite of the last 30 years of advance in city infrastructure and other hardwares, China is still a very poor country of 1.3 billion including a poverty-stricken farming population of 650 million, and a corrupt backward government. Anyone who has been to China can see that. We in Hong Kong are so close to China that we probably know it better than anyone else. But the West blows the whole thing out of proportion, calling China a Superpower, and a threat, which is simply not the case.
Author Helen Wang rightly pointed out in her book, saying ... China in many ways, is too backward to qualify as a superpower ... it has a long way to go. However what she should realise is that the West is using the rise of a Superpower as a convenient pretext to blame and bash China for their own economic woes and diplomatic failures. Yet business is business. Trade still goes on as long as there is a profit.
As far as I can see, China has a lot of catching up to do. China has more internal problems than it can handle. China is more involved in solving its own problems, such as feeding its millions, providing them with jobs, keep the rich/poor gap narrow down, fighting corruption & inflation, and give people a decent living ... etc etc.
So far the progress made are stained with blood, sweat and tears. Every time one uses an INTEL, HP or Apple, there are many parts inside that are made in China's sweat shops. This is just one example which is all over the news in recent days. Cheap products from China actually kept US inflation down for years! Sounds like a win/win situation. However what does the average worker gets for assembling the IC chips ... a mere US$120/m. They work very hard, but very very sad. I have stories to tell ... much later.
Its really a conspiracy of the West to contain China from expansion, just like containing the Soviet Union from expansion in the Cold War days. Why is there a European Union and NATO, SEATO and other alliances? It's the post -WWII Western strategy to contain the two communist giants, a strategy which is still in force today, but rather out-dated, since Russia and China are no longer communists.
Why does the US have over one thousand military bases around the world and seven fleets atrolling the seas? China has none. Because the politicians in the West have to justify their governments' expenditure on the military. Because the arms dealers and manufacturers have to lobby the politicians to sell their weapons. Because the Western nations want to perpetuate a Western dominant world. Fair assessment?
200 years ago, after fallen behind the West, China was attacked by Britain first, then plundered, looted, colonised by a league of 8 nations, even conquered by Japan. The next 100 years, China suffered 2 revolutions, 2 World Wars, plus Civil War and internal struggle, China, as a nation, is flat out, downtrodden and experiencing total collapse. All it wants now is to rebuild a country from its pieces, to give its people food, shelter, clothing, a decent life and restore some dignity to a "sick" nation. What can be more noble and humanistic than that?
Many people do think China's leaders deserve to be awarded a Nobel Peace Price for their contribution to lead a quarter of mankind out of poverty and starvation! President Gorbachev received a Nobel Peace Price for liberating the Soviet Union in 1989, a huge political change for Eastern Europe. I think China 's achievement is more internal, but economical change is just as great if not greater. Why the West are so negative about China! Fair assessment or not?
What about the arms race? The US and Russia have enough nuclear arsenal to destroy the world ten times over. But China can hardly defend itself against the real Superpowers. China just want to stand on its own two feet, and not being bullied by any other powers. If one should understand the Chinese mindset, our culture of Confucius, Mencius, Laotze, Chuangtze and Buddha, all teaches harmony among men, harmony between men and nature.........what 5,000 years of history has taught us that wars and killings will not solve any problems, but will create more problems.
That's why China's leaders kept stressing China's position is not to seek the first strike in any conflict, a sharp contrast to some other country's "pre-emptive strike" mindset. China has not invaded any country in the last 200 years. China has not one soldier combating abroad today. It seems that China may not want to be a Superpower now. Its Economics 101 ......guns or butter?
The answer is clear.
Guess I spoke enough ... not in defense or accusation, but to help international understanding.
[This page was added on 7 October, 2012, last revised on 12 October 2012.]