December 23, 2007BeijingWhat a difference a decade can make! It’s been ten years since I was last in Beijing and — like most of the rest of China — it has changed enormously. I’m convinced that, with time and a number of pressing reforms, China can become one of the most free, progressive, and wealthy societies on the planet. It’s a very exciting place. Posted by Tom Palmer at December 23, 2007 8:01 PM | TrackBackComments
Glad to hear that you had a good first impression in Beijing, Dr. Palmer:) What's your schedule in Beijing? Would you like to visit our office? Posted by: Michelle.Cheng at December 23, 2007 9:47 PMTom, I'd be very curious to read what you are basing this optimism about China's future on. Best wishes. Posted by: Tobias Heinrich at December 24, 2007 6:41 AMTobias, That's a complicated question, but I'd mention the increasing autonomy of civil society organizations, especially in the southern and coastal regions (places such as Ningbo, Wenzhou, and Hangzhou stand out) and the pragmatism of many of the ruling officers to accept such outcomes as having practical benefits for everyone. A great many foolish restrictions are being set aside on the local level and that is generating quite substantial variation among systems within China, with the more libertarian-oriented places prospering and the more old-fashioned and collectivist places suffering, so there is substantial discussion in China, on the basis of practical evaluations, of the various models. Posted by: Tom G. Palmer at December 25, 2007 11:08 AMPost a comment
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