China

Erc X. Li, a venture capitalist from Shanghai, claims that there are three key factors that determine the superiority of the Chinese political system – adaptability, meritocracy & legitimacy. However, all three factors will be strongly challenged when there is a strong recession in that country.

Eric’s efforts just show, once again, that beliefs are the bastard children of self-interest and stupidity, in both the West and the East.

My personal view is that modern economies, once they get to a certain size and degree of complexity, pretty much run themselves. Many people erroneously believe that our politicians ‘run the country’. The truth is that the country runs itself. Our parliaments, alongside many other institutions, are allowed to tweak things a little here and there in response to change. Its not too different in China.

In China I have discovered that the core competency of the people seems to be getting around authority. After a couple of thousand years of being lorded-over they simply don’t believe in authority, nor do they believe that rules are there for their own benefit. This means, in business for example, that it’s very hard to find ‘bed-rock’ – the whole thing appears to be built on foundations of sand.

What Eric X. Li should have said is that the Chinese political systems suits China because of the history of the country and the nature of the people. It would probably be a disaster to graft a Western representative system onto China. But it would also be senseless to try and imitate China’s system anywhere else. I would leave it at that.

And I fully expect China’s system to morph over time, but to remain unique.

One thing is for sure, the old expression about the emperor’s clothes definitely refers to a Chinese emperor. “Face” will hold China back at some stage, probably when they least need it to.