China's coming around, but it takes time
Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 11:41AM ARTICLE: Describing Vision for China, Hu Defends Reforms, Rejects Calls for Democracy, By Edward Cody, Washington Post, June 27, 2007; Page A13
Politically, this is where China stands: facing huge social and economic and environmental and technological challenges, there's little appetite at the top to open up the system politically. Left to its own devices, the party would rule unopposed forever, but with so many "devices" out there, that's going to change--not from above but from below. Not a decades-and-decades thing. I just don't see the party able to run China in 2025 like it does today. Just too many people wanting to translate wealth into more political say. A beach head for now, but add those billion new consumers and watch the push grow into a shove. Freedom begins when you get used to doing what you want with your own money. Once you get that under your skin, you start becoming less reasonable about your lack of political freedom.
We forget that the average Chinese just obtained that basic economic freedom in the past decade or so with the opening of the economy: real money combined with real choices.
So yeah, it takes time.
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