Quote from Ghost of Cutten:
The west is rich because it operates a system of liberal democracy with property rights, rule of law, relatively low corruption, reasonable business freedoms, and protections for individual and minority rights. China is not rich because it operates a repressive dictatorship with weak property rights, corrupt courts and public officials, and lack of protection for individual and human rights etc.
Numerous studies and surveys, such as the HDI index, Legatum, UN surveys etc, show a very strong correlation between individual and business freedoms, and the level of prosperity, social development, and overall happiness in a society.
The reason these two systems are operated is because the people living in and governing the different societies have chosen it. The people in the west choose it by their votes every 4-5 years, and the people in China chose it by either supporting, or failing to successfully overthrow and replace what is a very ineffective, unstable, and repressive form of autocratic rule.
If the current generation of Chinese really believe that the west just won a lottery ticket, rather than being a model to copy (as Singapore's leaders and people realised and implemented very successfully), then they will continue to miss the opportunity to achieve parity or superiority to the west. Considering they have the Hong Kong example in their own back yard (Chinese people living under a western system for a century, totally outperforming Chinese people under a Chinese system over the same time), it is even more inexcusable folly. The appropriate response is "Europe to China: you're too damn blind and foolish"
Really?
Is Europe begging China for money or the other way around?
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...illion-euro-as-leaders-seal-eu-crisis-deal.do
Singapore is a capitalist country but that does not mean it has copied the western political system and ideas of individual freedom as paramount above everything else.
I don't claim to be an expert on Asian affairs either, but from what I know, the East Asian developmental model has been decidedly different.
This is actually way off topic...but.
South Korea achieved the highest rate of growth and industrialised under a military dictatorship led by Park Chung Hee. In fact the first civillian president of South korea did not occur until Kim Young sam won the election in the 1990's.
Taiwan never held direct presidential elections and was virtually a one party dictatorship from 1949 until the 1990's where Lee teng Hui won the presidency. By this time, Taiwan had already industrialised and beame one of the 4 asian economic tigers.
The LDP has ruled Japan since 1955 and has won every single election until 2009. While having free and fair elections, Japan is widely considered to be a one-party dominant state.
Ditto for Singapore.
Ironically enough, the old British colony of Hong Kong is thriving today because it is the gateway to the China market. Look at HKG port traffic after the liberalization of Chinese economy, it has freaking exploded.
If you actually know what you are talking about, You will know that Lee Kuan Yew, long time prime minister of Singapore publicly as well as in his books repudiated the Western political model in favor of an East asian development system that has placed different ideals and values over the western one.
There is no western triumphalism. The East Asian model has proved to be a worthy competitor.
You should read the very highly regarded Kishore Mahubani who has widely elucidated this viewpoint.