You Chinese have every right to be proud of how much China accomplished since China adopted capitalism. I may rag on the Chinese government at times, but for the Chinese people, I only wish them the best available opportunities capitalism can offer.
What China need to do next, as in highest priority, is to spread the wealth deeper into China. Right now, the concentration of wealth is too much on the coastal regions. I do not advocate forcible redistribution of wealth. But let us take the simple microwave oven, the thing I so often used on this forum as example of the power of capitalism. The microwave oven is all over the US, even the poorest of American have one. Same for the cell phone, or cable TV, or many things that a couple decade ago, only the 'elites' enjoys. That is what I mean by 'spread the wealth'.
What I said is not baseless. I have been to mainland China and have seen the gross wealth disparity that is even worse than US, despite how many articles people may bring to criticize US. I work with many Chinese engineers who admitted the very thing I am saying. I have seen a Chinese mother wept at the size of her son's American house in a gated development. I was there and it was a very soul touching moment. He was a co-worker and friend, then took a risk as a group lead at the new plant, now a manager in Virginia. I can only imagine his parents' joy today.
I believe the Chinese government is taking the wrong path in believing China is somehow under threat. The US and our allies have invested much -- if not too much -- into China to view China as a threat. I believe the Chinese government places far too much stock into that 'century of humiliation' to justify China's militaristic actions today. That is not my belief alone but a composite from all the Chinese friends and co-workers I know over the last 20 yrs. It is revealing that they felt more free to express themselves in the US than they could in China.
