Chinese Real Threat

Power of millions of Chinese netizens should not be underestimated

In 1978, Deng Xiaoping ushered in a new China by outlining economic changes called "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics," a systematic attempt to break free from the failed 1959-1962 Maoist Great Leap Forward Policy. It prompted the opening of Chinese eleven coastal cities for foreign investors lured by tax exemptions, among other lucrative incentives. On the other side, the loosening of control allowed each province to create its own blueprint for foreign direct investment, giving power and flexibility to the municipal level to manage their own resources.

In the cities, Chinese population has grown quickly as millions of people from rural areas have rushed in looking for new opportunities to earn money. New consumers have created a huge domestic market with huge buying power to boost China's economy even more. This resulted in a surplus of US$200 million, swelling the national reserves in just a few years.

Is China a threat? Possibly. Just several months ago, as published massively in China website, the country showcased its military might by shooting down its own old suborbital satellite. Combined with its nuclear power, this achievement sent a shudder to America and the entire world, which is fearful of Chinese massive military build-up. America in particular felt threatened by the test given its spy satellites flying over in the atmosphere, which would become easy targets in a "Star War" scenario. Moreover, China has just hit another crossroad in modernizing its navy and air squadron, becoming one of the handful of coutries able to develop its own jet fighters, which are said to be at the level of Russian SU 27. At least 300 multi-role fighters will be flying over China's territory in the coming years. A feat of science and technology envied by many other countries.

In the prestigious space arena, Chinese have proudly joined the ranks of the three-member exclusive space club by putting its first astronaut into space a few years ago. The success feeds on a much more ambitious endeavor to launch an unmanned lunar mission in 2008, a feat India is looking forward to. The country is also a tough competitor in the space business, offering the cheaper Silkworm rocket to fly satellites into space, a feat that India has accomplished too.

Asia has shifted the balance of world power greatly through these little examples of Asian advancement like China and India. In an interview with Time a few years ago, former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev has warned America clearly about its self-righteous attitude. He told the reporter that the break-up of the Soviet Union started by his glasnost and perestroika was meant to create a new just world order. Unfortunately, America has arrogantly misunderstood the occasion as marking its unprecedented ascension to become a sole superpower and world policeman, while many things are expected from the U.S.. In this light, Chinese are understandably considered an actual threat to American interests and its allies.

Is China a threat? Once again, possibly. But the power of China is more than just in its geopolitical ambition. Just few months ago, China website and Chinese Internet search leader Baidu.com won approval to become an online news portal, making it an even stronger competitor to Google in the highly competitive market. The stake is 137 millions netizens logging in everyday, second only to the number of users in the U.S. This cyberspace trend, thanks to China's burgeoning economy, will probably see it surpass the U.S. in the next two years.

The recent power these wired Chinese showed is their reaction to a small Starbucks tucked in beside the Hall of Preserving Harmony in Beijing's Forbidden City. The company was originally allowed to join other food concessions to help finance an extensive renovation. Rui Chenggang, a well-known anchorman on a Chinese state-run TV station, posted a personal blog entry calling for Starbucks to be evicted from the prestigious World Heritage site that housed 24 Chinese Emperors over the last 500 years. Six years ago, the same nationalistic rally was launched when the number of netizens was 30 times as small. This recent tide of criticism hit a phenomenal register, with more than half a million visitors, and has collected thousands of supporting messages.

This Web-based people's power compares favorably to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech (Aug. 28, 1963 at the Washington Mall), which drew at least 500,000 followers, or the historical Philippines' People's Power toppling of Ferdinand Marcos or the spectacular 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, or the 1998 Indonesian demonstrations that overthrew the Soeharto regime. Citizens become a factor in public opinion making, and even in government policies. It is simply the power of 17.5 million Chinese bloggers, according to a survey last August.

I believe, this is the real Chinese threat. Vox populi, vox Dei (The voice of the people , the voice of God). Citizens are globally building a much stronger identity as active stockholders in overseeing the process of democratization. We are expecting an unprecedented "domino effect" in the near future to come as many are taking cue from China's experience.

Kyoto, 2007