By: Salim I.
Hassan
CHINA! Rich
People Strong Nation. Perhaps it is the only country that has no official National Motto or Slogan.
“China, one of the
poorest countries in the world three decades ago, with a GDP per capita of only
US$165 (381 RMB or Chinese Yuan) in 1978, is now the world’s second largest
economy, with annual growth rates averaging 9% over the past 30 years, and GDP
per capita of US$6,807 (41,908 RMB) in 2013. Rapid economic growth is projected
to continue, though at a lower rate, but disparities among regions and
population groups are large and widening”.
China, the “World’s Factory, is the only nation that has lifted more than 500
million people out of poverty since 1978, creating one of the largest economic
miracles in the later 20th century. A nation where people with 25% personal saving rate, rarely suffer from personal bankruptcies or
foreclosures. The huge saving by Chinese people have created financial
security for many Chinese families.
Imagine how successful they are within
3 decades only considering the fact they are the poorest in the world before
these decades. That is not magic, though beyond the capacity of all nations. This
is China and this is how the analysts described it. I am not exaggerating
please. Am I alone in extolling this nation? No! Experts have already done it
and are still doing it. Think of Dr. Dambisa Moyo, a global economist and author, who analyzes the
macroeconomy and international affairs,
and a recipient of the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, regards China as “new idol for emerging economies.” Thomas Friedman,
an American journalist, author, and three time Pulitzer Prize winner who has written
extensively on foreign
affairs, global trade, the Middle East, and globalization and currently a weekly columnist for The New York
Times had once stated in intoxicant admiration of China for its ability
to get things done quickly by saying “what if we could just be China for one
day?”, just to mention few. Let me also play this tune how I wish Nigeria can
just be a China for 4yrs alone? There will be a great success and achievement
indeed!
This nation has managed a difficult
transition from a lonely communist nation, to a largely open, economic driven
nation, all without a bit falling into crisis and turmoil. Manzur Alam writes that “Within
a few years China embarked on a path of economic growth that resulted in
raising the standard of living of the average Chinese by more than 20 times
within three decades. This exceptionally high and sustained economic growth
catapulted the size of China’s economy to the second position after it overtook
Japan in 2010. If the current trend continues, China will overtake the US as
the largest economy in the year 2028”.
So what are the secrets or drivers behind CHINA’s
extraordinary success? Trust me if I say Knowledge! Knowledge is the primary
driver while other factors are secondary.
“SEEK KNOWLEDGE EVEN IF IT TAKES YOU CHINA”. This is a well-known
Hadith of the Rasul (s.a.w) in which emphasis was exerted in seeking knowledge
by the Muslims no matter far away the place is. A great civilization like
China, an ancient repository of knowledge had been and remains a great one with
a rich economy and superior technology. When I read its history of
civilization, its useful cultures, and its modern development policies from
introduction of market mechanism to modern technology and management from the
west I really became captivated by its beautiful strategy of developmental
goals and management. Modern civilization cannot be realized or even be
imagined without books written on paper, which is a Chinese invention.
It is beyond any doubt that China is a land of not only knowledge
but knowledge and act. It has been consecutively ranked the 1st
in 2009 and 2012 PISA international student assessment. It educates 7 million
university graduates annually, 40% with engineering and science degrees. And it
is suggested that Chinese scientists and engineers are behind the rapid move in
China’s technological advancements and economic growth as written in a New York Times article titled: “Next made-in-China
boom: college graduates.” It is also recorded that in America itself Chinese
educated immigrants are the major driving forces in high technological and
engineering industries. Thanks to Chinese people who proved wrong the Western
only formula for development as dictated to world nations.
Next to education, Chinese
people are also major drivers of China’s success. Chinese people, argues Yukong
Zhao (the author of the book "The Chinese Secrets for Success: Five Inspiring
Confucian Values.), are the true
creator of China’s economic success and the great culture that shapes their
characteristics: ambitious, hardworking, thrifty, caring for their families and
relentlessly pursuing good education and success, emphasizing that there are more than 40 Chinese slogans
or phrases, to encourage children and adults to have big dream for their
future. These motivate Chinese people to study diligently and work hard.
African, Asian and
Middle East (Muslim) nation must appreciate the fact that national development
and progress is by no means only possible with the imitation of the Western
Capitalist policy. Manzur Alam Tipu also
postulates that “The spectacular success of such a large country like China
surprised the pundits, because the Chinese experience of economic development
ran counter to conventional wisdom. Development experts used to believe that
economic development could only occur through a process summarized by the
so-called “Washington Consensus.” The IMF, the World Bank, and the US Treasury
Department used to prescribe a single formula to crisis-wrecked countries. They
used to demand of countries needing assistance that if they wished to come out
of poverty and crisis they would have to deregulate, privatize, and limit the
government’s role in the economy. The Chinese experience shows that a strong,
efficient and dedicated government may be more effective than the free market
alone for achieving economic development with more equitable distribution”. We should know that It is not by means of ideas imported or imposed that a
nation can develop; self-preservation and safeguarding national interest shall
be the final yardstick for measuring your society’s destiny.
China,
after throwing communism to the dustbin of history, it adopt the three Ps
policy to attain absolute independence and development, namely
preservation, prosperity, and power. By Preservation they mean protecting of
their territorial integrity and maintaining internal stability. By ‘Prosperity’ they mean getting to a level of
Rich People and Strong Nation. Finally, Power means the capacity to achieve the
first two goals i.e Preservation and Prosperity. All with this philosophy China
aims to have a strong military or soft power to create or maintain a world that
is suitable for a stable and prosperous China. And now before we can know it
this is a reality of today’s China, Rich People and Strong Nation. A nation
where people with 25% personal saving rate, rarely suffer from
personal bankruptcies or foreclosures. The huge saving by Chinese people
have created financial security for many Chinese families.
Yukong Zhao wrote
in his article that: “In 1979, Herman Kahn, the world-famous futurist,
predicted, ‘the Confucian ethic—the creation of dedicated, motivated,
responsible, and educated individuals and the enhanced sense of commitment,
organizational identity, and loyalty to various institutions—will result in all
the neo-Confucian societies having at least potentially higher growth rates
than other cultures.’ In 1980, Roderick MacFarquhar, the world-renowned
China expert and Harvard Professor declared: ‘That ideology [Confucianism] is
as important to the rise of the east Asian hyper-growth economies as the
conjunction of Protestantism and the rise of capitalism in the West.’
In conclusion, China
has no replica in its type of development and do not copy any of Western system
of administration, and yet it is ranked 2nd among best world economy
which is able to attain within 30yrs of struggle. It sprang up from poorest to
richest nation. In his
book, writes Alam Tipu, The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel Huntington suggested
that the US should continue to prop up the military industrial complex to
prepare for a violent “civilizational” clash against a Confucian-Islamic
alliance. How did he come to such an astonishing conclusion about a belligerent
anti-west alliance taking shape when there is no ideological, religious, or
cultural affinity between communist-cum-free market China and Muslim countries?
He argued that both China and Muslim countries share grievances against the
West’s colonial past and Western dominance of the present world order. Further,
Muslim countries such as Pakistan and Iran have engaged in extensive
cooperation with China.
We should all learn from China
experience of development so that we can be lifted up………
