Feature
Sadly this year, high-profile artist Ai Weiwei was arrested for suspected economic crimes. Bankers, big businesses and politicians commit economic crimes with their reckless spending, monopolisation, and a total lack of ethics. Artists attempt to make the world more beautiful. Economic crimes are not their forte. Arresting the artist on such suspicions will ultimately increase Ai Weiwei’s personal fame, but one must fear for the future artists who may not be so brave.
“The strength of our marriages...” In 2009, one in five Chinese marriages ended in divorce, according to a report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The report said 1.71 million Chinese couples broke up that year or 10.3 percent, a rate higher than the previous year. This is probably a good thing, though I have no doubt that a strong marriage is good for a child. High divorce rates seem to have a correlation with prosperity and liberalism. Divorce itself, may not be positive but allowing divorce most certainly is.
“The intelligence of our public debate...” How can a country have public debate if there is only one political party? Having one governing party has its advantages: decisions are certainly much more efficient. The problem with having one ruling party is that occasionally the public does not agree with government policies. Along with China, other single party states include North Korea, Syria and Turkmenistan. Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, an advocate of a multi-party state in China, is currently serving an 11 year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power”. He has been in jail three times before on similar charges, but Nobel Peace Prize winners don’t often spend time in jail. The last winner to be in jail when he received the award was Carl von Ossietzky, who was arrested by the Nazis for speaking against the state.
“The integrity of our public officials...” China, publicly at least, seems to be tackling corruption. In December 2010, China stated that corruption is "still very serious," and set out new measures to tackle it. In a report on the fight against corruption, the authorities said that more than 200,000 cases have been investigated since 2003. This is extremely positive news, and a sign that China cares about its reputation around the world.
“Neither our wisdom nor our learning...” The final points made in Bobby Kennedy speech are
Liu Xiaobo
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rather more subjective. Everything in education is debatable. Every year, the UK’s student pass rates go up. Most people argue that it’s not because teaching is not getting better but because test are getting easier.
“Neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country...” I’m sure most people have a devotion to their country. When people say they hate their country, they really mean they hate the government. They don’t hate the people, the landscape or anything else that makes life in the country worthwhile. Currently GDP is important in that it shows how a country is progressing economically. GPD statistics are used, rightly or wrongly, by governments to compare themselves to their counterparts. However a better counterpart for China might be India, which has a similarly-sized population, rather than the USA or Japan. According to the IMF, India is currently the world’s 10th largest economy. However when you look at India’s GDP per capita, they are a lowly 138th. China’s goal shouldn’t be to overtake the USA in terms of GDP, but to overtake the world average GDP per capita which would place at 61st in the world, 34 places above its current position. Looking only at GDP per capita has its flaws as well; you really need to look at income inequality. South Africa, for example has a terrible income distribution, despite making great strides in GDP per capita. Visitors can experience everything from the crushing poverty of shanty towns to exquisite mansions, all on a short drive out of town. The rise of CO2 levels and the acquisition of material commodities cannot go on forever. Eventually the world will look past GDP, and when it does GDP won’t matter anymore. By Thomas Middlehurst Gwangju News June 2011
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