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I don't think they'd want to make significant changes to their political system. The Chinese middle class is already larger than the US middle class (and growin
by richmarr 10y ago
I don't think they'd want to make significant changes to their political system. The Chinese middle class is already larger than the US middle class (and growing), so they're already going to be the culturally dominant force over the next century.
Edit: "they" above being those in power. Obvs there are people in China who want reform.
- BurningFrog 10y agoA reasonably wealthy middle class will take power. Because money is power, and they have most of it. At least that is one way you can view the democratization of the west. The same mechanism - if real - should apply in China as well.
- gbog 10y agoDepends on what you mean by democratization. If you mean the main part of the country's citizen have the most leverage on country's general guidance by simple weight effect, then yes, and it is probably already the case for China. If you mean "representative political system with elections as done in some Western countries" then maybe this political system should be fixed before asking other people to try it.
- BurningFrog 10y agoYeah, I didn't mean to say China would democratize. Rereading, I see how it can be read that way.
- richmarr 10y ago> The same mechanism - if real - should apply in China as well. Yeah, I think it's realistic to expect growing wealth to affect the political landscape. I guess my point is that self-imposed political reform is a choice few governments make willingly. OP was suggesting that the soon-to-be dominant world power would choose self-imposed political reform with the specific objective of attracting more overseas students. To me that seems like choosing to cut off your arm rather than trim your fingernails.