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08.12.2003
Orville Schell
China needs to address weaknesses,
says expert
Byline: IZATUN SHARI
PETALING JAYA: China has evolved into a successful economy and become
competitive in almost every field but its leadership also needs to look
at its weaknesses to sustain the growth, a seasoned expert on China said.
Prof Orville Schell said the country
needed to address unresolved issues such as unemployment, the welfare
system for its increasingly ageing population, healthcare costs and
ensure that its banking and financial markets function well.
“It will be foolish for China not to recognise its weaknesses and
strengths. It should get to the question of how the people should behave
in the area of values and what the culture will be based on,” he said
during a public lecture entitled “What is China’s long-term prognosis?
Success or failure?” at Menara Star here yesterday.
He said China did not have an open media, which was a missing aspect
that could hinder the process of questions and critiques for it to
reinvent itself.
Prof Schell said when China was in a dilemma in the 1920s during the
fall of the Qing Dynasty, there was a lot of debate, predominantly on how
to resolve problems.
“But now people cannot talk about problems because the government
doesn't allow it.”
He said China was an incredibly dynamic economic force but in order to
peacefully evolve, it needed to build a stable foundation for its 1.3
billion people.
He said although China had high savings worth trillions of dollars and
recorded high growth rates of between 7% and 13%, it must deal with
unemployment and 800 million peasants looking for jobs.
“If these problems are not confronted, it will be burdensome for the
Chinese economy. The problems will set in if the country faces a slower
growth rate,” he said, adding that China also needed to develop value
systems of morality and of human relations for its people to fall back
on.
During the question and answer session, Prof Schell said now was the
most appropriate time for China to resolve the problems to evolve
economically, politically and socially.
Organised by Star Publications and the Asian Center for Media Studies,
the lecture was chaired by The Star deputy group chief editor Datuk Wong
Sulong.
Also present was The Star group chief editor Datuk Ng Poh Tip.
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