Nowadays China plays one of the most important roles in the global economy. In the short time since the middle of the 20th century, economic growth increased rapidly due to industrialization. Despite the profitableness caused by the development, the wealth is still available only for a small number of people, and the majority of the Chinese population cannot afford such ordinary things as education and medical care. These facts depict that Chinese development has an ambivalent nature, and it proves that the present-day political policies have many issues that need to be resolved.
“Poverty and Wealth in Postsocialist China” describes how the Communist policy that was implemented in the 20th century caused the emergence of social inequality. Together with the economic growth that was achieved by industrialization, the country faced great poverty increase. The fast-moving development can be explained by “the interaction between institutional practices of the socialist decades and deep engagement with the market rules of global production” (“Poverty and Wealth in Postsocialist China” 4). Industrialization and privatization were crucial for the economic evolvement and creation of the social divide in the country. For example, in the middle of the 20th century rural farmers in China were “denied the opportunity to leave farming for industrial work”, they also “were necessarily condemned to the lowest income strata” (“Poverty and Wealth in Postsocialist China” 8). Rural migrants face discrimination in the cities when they move there in search of work. The inequality also affected women, who are usually paid less. The most significant issue caused by privatization became the inaccessibility of medical services and education.
Francis Fukuyama and Zhang Weiwei in their dialogue discuss the problems in the governmental policies that require improvements. One of the biggest issues is the increase in population. The industrialization makes people from the countryside move to the cities in search of the profit. Fukuyama notices that it can cause challenges in the future, and he claims that economic growth “will slow in the next generation” (“The China Model” par. 78). In his turn, Weiwei claims that the modern policies have problems that are recognized by society and government, but still, China has its own way of development, which is based on a “holistic tradition” (“The China Model” par. 46).
The social and political reforms that took place in China in the recent past were fruitful regarding the economy. Nevertheless, the government now encounters the problems of inequality and poverty. The current problems make it clear that the government needs to pay more attention to public opinion and need to change the developmental models that would be more beneficial for the majority of the citizens.
Works Cited
“Poverty and Wealth in Postsocialist China: An Overview.” Studies in Social Inequality: Creating Wealth and Poverty in Postsocialist China. Ed. Davis, Deborah and Feng Wang. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 2008. 3-19. Print.
“The China Model: A Dialogue between Francis Fukuyama and Zhang Weiwei.” New Perspectives Quarterly 28.4 (2011): n.pag. NPQ. Web.