China has a story to narrate to the world

RN Bhaskar

In order to appreciate what China means for the world, it is important to go beyond simple classifications of socialism, communism, capitalism and democracy. One needs to step back and ask one question – what is the first responsibility of any government?
Invariably, the answer will be to feed its people, clothe them, give them shelter and security and then show them a path which allows them to grow into more productive people with a sense of achievement. If these are the yardsticks with which one should judge governments, surely China would rank among the best.
Consider the attached chart:
Over the past five decades, China has almost eradicated poverty (at least ensured that most people have climbed above the benchmark that technically defines them as being poor). It has almost eradicated illiteracy, and it has made the people richer – with enough to eat, with many opportunities for growth, and has created educational opportunities that allow them to become bigger and think of larger concepts and projects.
The China one sees today, is not the China fifty years ago. The first phase of costal development included mining, smokestack industries, steelmaking and the use of coal. China was seldom known for its clean streets, but the cruder forms of industrialisation made the cities dirtier, razed the green fields and hills into dusty landscapes.
Then the community took over – more specifically in the province of Zhejiang. They learnt to give the community a greater say in how the people there wanted to grow. They educated
the people into ways to government themselves, resolve their disputes locally. Many of them learnt to hone their traditional skills. Thus the knitting and weaving centres decided to form one of the largest production centres of weaving and knitting, which then became Zhili, the world’s largest centre for children’s garments. At the macro level, they heeded the words of
Xi Jinping that he uttered in 2004 as provincial secretary (much before he became president). He remarked that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. Today the community has ensured that all the surrounding hills are verdant, the rivers vibrant and flowing, and the weaving and knitting and garment-making blend with technology to create one of the most advanced garment making centres globally.
It has adopted industries that do not pollute – the emergence of Cloud city is a good example — and has preserved nature the way the older forms of industries could not.
Of course, steel-making still employs huge numbers of people. But that is why China needs to persuade all countries to adopt its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) so that it achieves three objectives at the same time – it finds a market for its steel and cement, it ensures that jobs are not lost within the country, and it creates new jobs overseas. At the same time, it participates in the industrial development and skill development of partner countries to propel them up the value addition path.
True, the price at which these projects can materialized is still very high according to the reckoning of many experts. But that is where China still has work to do.
And with social governance – which is now sought to be promoted countrywide – China is trying to give people a sense of empowerment, a belief in the rule of law, and migrating from obeying the law to believing the law.
China’s migration from the first industrial revolution to the fourth industrial revolution is truly breathtaking. The unfolding of a better future is still enthralling and mesmerizing. And that is the story China wants to tell the world.