The Top Ten China Myths of 2010
I rarely blog about current events, but this one is too interesting and concise to pass up: The Top Ten China Myths of 2010, by Evan Osnos of the New Yorker.
Quick and dirty list of the 10 myths:
1. Dissidents no longer matter in global diplomacy.
2. No company can afford to antagonize China.
3. China is parting ways with North Korea.
4. The U.S. has lost the green-technology race.
5. Beijing doesn’t care about air quality.
6. Beijing has licked its air-quality problem.
7. China’s G.D.P. growth speaks for itself.
8. The “Beijing Model” is a product of Deng Xiaoping’s economic engineering.
9. Apparatchiks can get away with anything.
10. China will do everything it can to avoid ruffling foreign powers.
Read the full article.
The timing of #1 is perfect. Cue Fight Club scene in which the Mastercard/Visa/Amex buildings crumble to the ground. It’s like art imitating life and vice versa.
Lastly, I had no idea what the word is so I posted it here:
Apparatchik: a Russian colloquial term for a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party or government