Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Although much of the world is relying on an American economic recovery to fend off a global recession, China has proven that it can support its own growth.
2007 witnessed a "notable setback for global freedom." Some of this is the fault of the Bush administration, whose policies have given democratization a bad name. At the same time, new democracies have not figured out how to secure their new political systems beyond their first elections. Some democratization advocates wonder whether democracy has reached its global limits.
The next U.S. administration should commit greater leadership time to developing a more considered and engaged Asian policy that begins with a call for a new multilateral organization in East Asia.
In the midst of a wrenching global financial crisis, business and academic experts from around the world met in Beijing to discuss the causes and implications of the crisis. Although there was disagreement over the severity of the crisis, all participants agreed that it marks the end of the unbridled free-market economy in the U.S.
China is shifting its focus from growth to the broader goal of development, which includes a wide range of social and economic policy objectives. To examine the nature and impact of that transition, Carnegie hosted an event with KC Kwok, chief government economist of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Albert Keidel, senior associate at Carnegie, moderated the discussion.
The countries of the East won't be banding together to replace the West as the seat of global power anytime soon. Many trends do suggest that Asian nations are becoming more integrated than ever before. At the same time, however, a virulent nationalism is spreading in the region, one that feeds on history to gin up hatred and push small-minded agendas.
The Bush administration, in its eagerness to expand trade with China, has relegated consumer safety to the backseat. As the world's top consumer of Chinese goods, the U.S. has the clout to sway China's behavior, but the administration has alternately ignored safety concerns and accepted assurances from the world's fastest-growing exporter that it will clean up its act.
China used the Beijing Olympics as a showcase for its new found economic clout and ascendancy as a leading member of the international community. Although the resounding success of the Games has bolstered China's authoritarian regime and shielded it from the scrutiny it deserves on human rights issues, China deserves praise for embracing the world.
Although the Western press reports that average Chinese citizens are immensely proud of the Olympics, these Games are not very important to China's "forgotten" rural citizens, who comprise over half of its population -- 200 million of them earn less than $1.25 per day, a near-African wage. The Olympics have only made their lives tougher.
The Beijing Olympics mark China’s emergence as a global leader, but present risks that could mar its reputation. Risks include logistical organization, pollution, security, and political protests.