Democracy up to 100 years away, China's Premier says

[Doondoo]

Communist leaders have no plans to allow democracy in the near future because they must focus on economic development before political reform, China's No. 3 leader said in comments published Tuesday.

Democracy will emerge once a “mature socialist system” develops but that might not happen for up to 100 years, Premier Wen Jiabao wrote in an article in the People's Daily, the main Communist Party newspaper.

For now, China must focus on “sustained rapid growth of productive forces ... to finally secure fairness and social justice that lies within the essence of socialism,” Mr. Wen wrote.

The Premier said the country is “still far from advancing out of the primary stage of socialism. We must adhere to the party's basic guidelines of the primary stage of socialism for 100 years.”



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070227.wchinademocracy0227/BNStory/International/home

[Zynx]

1. I'm sorry, but reform never needs to take 100 years.

That seems like an argument for the state retaining control, nothing more.

[Thor_MN]

11. Sure reform can be quick, but societal change takes at least that long

Lincoln freed the slaves with the Civil War, so there should be absolutely no hints of racism 140 years later, right? Asian cultures tend to take the long view and recognize that society and culture do not turn on a dime. For them to say that it will take 100 years for something as dramatic as changing to Democracy means they think they are working with all due haste.

[Zynx]

23. Bullshit. The government just wants power.

Transitions towards free and open government have little to do with changing culture. If China could change the entire nature of its economy in under fifteen years from the death of Mao to the early 1990s, they could pull off a transition to democracy is faster than 100 years.

[Thor_MN]

28. Ask anyone in the US who isn't white if they have been discriminated against.

Ask a woman if she feels she has equal rights and opportunities.

Those things have been mandated by our government for a relatively long time in your view, why isn't it complete?

Our government took 230 years to get to where we are, you expect China to be able to put something similar up in a couple years?

You don't get free an open government until the people expect free and open government as the norm. It simply isn't going to happen in one generation, whether it meets your approval or not.

[Turbineguy]

2. 100 years?

But Bush leave the Whitehouse in 2009. Howz that gonna work out? I guess whoever cleans up the mess in Iraq will have to invade China now.

[BayCityProgressive]

3. that is strange

they already started letting towns and villages elect their own officials and farming and co-ops elect their own managers and what to do with their funds...why would they start small reforms like this..and then go and say something like that? That isn't encouraging!

[Bhaisahab]

26. its probably the safety valv e theory at work

when the Brits were ruling India, they allowed the Indian national congress to take shape as a platform that would allow the locals to air their grievances politely and not resort to the kind of revolutionary activism that topples empires. I'm thinking the Chinese are doing the same here. Allowing grass roots democracy as a safety valve for people's democratic aspirations and thereby insuring against mass uprisings against the centralized state.

[OHdem10]

4. Another way of saying

We will keep our Communism thank you.

[ckramer]

18. There is nothing wrong with that

as long as the country focusing on its economy and improving its citizens living standard steadily - who needs the stinking wasteful US style election ?

Iraqis would be much better off if Saddam was still in charge, imo. The third world countries can't get ahead ecomomically under current global competition without a very stable government.

Dictatorship is good for them.

[otherlander]

27. Jesus fucking Christ!

Are you being sarcastic? "Dictatorship is good for them"?!?! I agree that there's nothing wrong with communism in itself, it helped the people of Chile until the CIA overthrew them, but you're just outright praising tyranny. :wtf:

[Big Pappa]

29. Damn.

Just damn. I am so glad these children have dictators to care for them.

[otherlander]

5. "allow"

"leaders have no plans to allow democracy"
oh, it's not up to you.
it's never been up to you, you're leaders.
democracy isn't decided by leaders.
democracy is people.
now get out of the way or drown.

[pampango]

15. Great post.

My guess is Louis XIV said the same thing right before the revolution. Rulers, and ruling parties, do not often predict their own imminent downfall. Those that effectively suppress public expressions of discontent seem to be cruising right along until just before the fall, see Louis XIV, the Soviet Union, the ottoman Empire and many others.

[piedmont]

6. They're keeping the lid screwed down awfully tight...

It's gonna be SOMETHING when the back-pressure blows that lid off!

[kurth]

7. Execution: 1 hour max after death sentence

in most cases.

[youngdem]

8. A Chinese middle finger to democracy

Can't say I blame them, lately. Everyone peddling democracy lately has been a war mongering snake oil salesman completely disinterested in actual democracy. So, I can see the reason for their lack of enthusiasm.

[MGD]

9. While I don't disagree, I'll still take our model of government over the Chinese model any day

I like rice and all but I don't want to get paid for my labor with a bowl of it.

[ckramer]

20. Believe it or not

The equivalent amount of money (Dollar vs Yuan) can buy much much more in China because of the much lower priceing of food and grocery.

The so called "slave wages" in China is really a myth, due to lack of understanding.

So 30,000 dollar per year in US probably qualifies you as a poor, but $30,000 equivalant of YUAN (RMB) make you live like a king in China under the local consumer price index.

In other words, Chinese are having a better life qualify than most of the Americans if they are earning the same amount of money.

Go figure.

[MGD]

21. What percentage of Chinese earn 30,000 YUAN though?

[Zynx]

24. If they are earning the same amount of money.

I would still much rather be an average factory worker in this country than one in China.

[SayWhatYo]

31. $30,000/yr is poor?

It may not be high living, but I fail to see how $30,000 would mean poverty. In fact, I would think that most people fresh out of college earn somewhere between 28k-40k a year... I've made $30,000 and even less in the past and I wouldn't have considered myself poor... I guess I have a different definition of poor... I was able to eat whenever I wanted and pretty much whatever I wanted. I had newish cars, cool electronic crap, and was able to pay my bills and go do stuff if I wanted. Grant you, I don't/didn't have any kids or anything...

[Betty]

10. about as long as bush expects us to be in Iraq

his very own 100 years war.

[robcon]

12. At least they're honest about it.

Castro claims already to be in a democracy... without competitive elections, with nominations through meetings (where dissent would mean jail), and with no one running against Fidel in 47 years.

[Doctor_J]

13. Maybe he sould ask Smirk for help

he's done such a great job in Iraq. Ask * to put china on the axis of evil. Then we can spend a trillion dollars "bringing them democracy".

[semillama]

14. 100 years! Come on, Axl, get on the ball!

I mean, yeah, a decade, but one hundred years to produce a new album...

oh, wait, wrong "Chinese Democracy". My bad.

[riverdale]

19. good one

Maybe someday we'll get democracy here in the USA too (electoral voting blows)!

[ryanmuegge]

16. Giving our whole economy away to them sure helped us affect their domestic policies, huh, Bill?

[The2ndWheel]

17. "sustained rapid growth of productive forces..."

Really, a very frightening phrase. On quite a few levels too.

It was a nice little habitat while we had one. Until we all went fucking crazy.

[closeupready]

22. Then I guess I won't be buying any Chinese products in this lifetime.

n/t

[bemildred]

25. Who knows? After he's dead, that's for sure. nt

[BayCityProgressive]

30. The democracy

issue aside, I am responding to an earlier post. It is true that the CHinese as a whole are pretty well off now compared to 20 years ago and they aren't paid in rice for christs sake. It is still a socialist country. The commanding heights of the economy are owned by the state and the rest of the market economy is still strongly controled and guided by the state. Marx himself said this is how a socialist economy would work. I am speaking only economics here. They have reduced poverty in a country with over a billion people from 52% to 8%. My uncle is the vice president of a company in NY and they recently started buying from China. He went over there and said he would go back in a heartbeat. He said def. still socialist/communist but people in the city had cell phones, computers, decent homes, eat out and enjoy many of the things we do. The country went from dirt poor to this in 20 years..you have to give them credit where it is due. If it were a purely capitalist society the top 1% would have horded all the new profits like they do in Mexico.