In Ian McEwan's last book 'Saturday', he wrote, as his main character drove passed the Chinese Embassy lost in his thoughts:

'China is simply too populous...to maintain itself in paranoia for much longer. It's economy is growing too fast, the modern world is too connected for the Party to keep control. Now you see Chinese in Harrods, soaking up luxury goods. Soon it will be ideas, and something has to give.'

I don't know McEwan's level of expertise on China, but those words really encaspulated my thoughts about this place, and helped explain why I continue to stay here even while some aspects seem to go backwards rather than forward.

It appears as though Chinadialogue has gone offline (as of December 12, 2006) ... I truly hope it's only temporary.

The People's Republic of China (PRC)has made definite stride in all fields. Much has happened after it got to toe Deng Xiaoping's dictum "shishi Qiushi" (seeking truth from facts). While innocuous, it made Chinese decision makers to shed ideological barriers to development. This is to learnt and emulated by the ideologues world over. Afterall, the ideology does not have meaning much less legitimacy unless this served the larger interests of the clientele. The PRC is on the road of astaunding economic growth and development.It serves 1.3 billion out of 6 and odd billion population of the world around. So far so good. The developmental model suffers unintended yet vital lacunae. The leadership is painfully aware and yet can not do much in the immediate furure. It has already cost the country immensely. Environment is the foremost victim. Double digit over all rate of year to year growth rate apart, it is at the brink of sustainace in agriculture. The government has had to abandon reforestation plan of 1.3 million hectares of land. The arable area has touched the ebb point of 122 million hectares. Post-liberation China prides over neutralizing the immacts of cyclical drought and flood impacts to cause famines. The situation can hardly be avoided until the correctives come to take shape in right earnest. It has to be manipronged, both at macro and micro management of the farmlands. There is problem not just in the realm of the primary industry. (also refer china-insight.blogspot.com