Simon Foster - CHINA's Three Gorges & Xi'an

The World Stage

Jiang continued with the open door policy and China began to see the rewards of two decades of increased economic freedom. In spite of E and US arms embargoes, China gained favored trade status with the US under President Clinton in 1995, although relations were strained by allegations that China was stealing US nuclear secrets. The situation suffered another setback in 2001 when a US spy plane collided with a Chinese F8 fighter jet and crash landed on Hainan Island,China's southernmost point. None of the US crew were hurt but the Chinese pilot died and the incident came at a crucial time when the Bush administration was deliberating over whether to supply Taiwan with arms. Tensions were further raised following the accidental NATO bombingof the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo Crisis a month later. In spite of these complications, economics prevailed and Beijing secured the 2008 Olympicsin 2001 andChina was eventually admitted to the World Trade Organizationin 2002.

Today's Leadership

In November 2002 a large party conference was held, the net result of which was the emergence of Hu Jintaoas leader of the CCP and Wen Jibaoas prime minister. Equally as committed to economic progress as their predecessors, Hu and Wen are a sign of the China to come - socialist doctrine remains only in political jargon, not in practice. Indeed Wen Jibao supported Zhang Ziyang in his sympathetic attitude with the 1989 protesters and as such there is some hope that China may proceed along moderate lines.

The Future

Life for many Chinese is undeniably better than it has ever been; the economy is burgeoning and China is becoming an ever more significant player on the world scene. In the 1970s the most people could aspire to own was a bicycle, a watch and a radio, but these days some young Chinese can shop for the same things as their counterparts in Japan or Taiwan. But modern China is plagued with disparities, which it must face if it is to progress beyond sheer material wealth for its urban dwellers. The vast population(see Population ), deterioration of the environment(see The Environment ), the threat posed by respiratory virusessuch as SARS and bird flu (see Health ), human rightsand territorial disputesare just some of the pressing problems facing the Middle Kingdom today.

Doubletalk, Disparities & Discontent

The most basic of China's contradictions lies between the party's anachronistic political rhetoric and the reality of everyday capitalism. Issues like petty theft, prostitution and organized crime syndicates, long thought of as foreign problems, are increasing in modern China and sooner or later the party will have to acknowledge the dichotomy between policy and parlance.

Undoubtedly there is more wealth in China now than ever before, but with more money and education people want greater social freedom and, if this is not forthcoming, it threatens to tear apart the CCP. For all the cell phones, designer apartments and luxury cars found in the cities, little of this newfound wealth has made its way to the rural masses. The gap between rich coastal cities and the poor rural interior is wider than ever and there is massive migration from poorer farming areas to the big cities, although most only manage to find work day-by-day, if at all. The shift away from heavy industry and reduction in state-owned enterprises has added to the numbers of discontented, unemployed transient workers. Their anger is further fueled by the corruption that seems to penetrate every level of the system. In 2001 a group of workers in Dongbei province staged a huge demonstration, which resulted in little but the arrest of the ringleaders. If the interests of these groups continue to be ignored they may be the greatest threat to the system.

Human Rights

Although China's economic growth is making it increasingly easy for the developed world to forget about its human rights abuses and Asian foreign policy, these issues have certainly limited its international standing. Don't be fooled by all the neon lights and Western amenities - internally, China is still a police state where media (including the Internet) is restricted, religions are suppressed and political beliefs can send you to jail. There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of political prisoners in China's gulagsin the northwest of the country, kept in harsh conditions and forced to work as slave labor.

Taiwan & Tibet

China's external outlook is another sensitive area and the continued occupation of Tibet and claim of Taiwan are regarded as internal rather than foreign policy. While the US initially supported Chiang Kaishek when he established the Republic of China in 1949, as the PRC has grown in stature, the rest of the world is succumbing to its wants and Taiwan is stifled in almost any international venture which it attempts. Financial ties remain strong and it is hoped these will win out over military might. However, the 2005 Taiwan Anti-Secession Law, which threatened use of force if Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's first democratic leader, continues to move towards independence, showed China's true colors once again. Tibet, which was seized in 1950, is another tricky subject. The Dalai Lamafled to India in 1959 and the party proceeded to populate Tibet with Han Chinese in order to secure their border. When the Dalai Lama selected a new Panchen Lama in 1995, the chosen one was arrested and the Chinese government installed their own representative. Standing in front of Lamaism's grandest building, the Potala Palace, which overlooks Lhasa, you are confronted by the bold red flag of the PRC. Chinese guides speak of Tibet's "liberation,” while impoverished Tibetans pass you on the street, and the stunning old city of Lhasa resembles a Han enclave more everyday. The 2006 completion of the China-Tibet railway has further cemented the territory's status as a Chinese province.

Money Makes the World Go Round

"Internal” problems aside, China's growing economic stature is difficult to ignore for the financial fixers of the developed world. Entry into the World Trade Organization, hosting the 2008 Olympics and flourishing Special Economic Zones are all testament to China's improved international standing, but the problems which the country must really address lie with its tremendous population. If the country is to continue supporting its meteoric growth, it is crucial to ensure that wealth filters to the discontented urban and rural sectors. If not, then the danger is that people will once again question their social and political rights and rise against the system which they see as inherently corrupt and oppressive.

However, while inequality is perhaps now more stressed than ever, China is certainly a far more tolerant place than it was even 20 years ago, looking back to its past with more pride. Many of the old beliefs and teachings are managing to find their place in the modern China and for the first time, even farmers dare to dream beyond their station. China truly has been a sleeping dragon for the past few centuries and now it is stirring as the rest of the world watches. If it can deliver the economic goods to a large proportion of the population, then the CCP looks set to survive and the world balance of power will look very different in 2020.

Geography

At 3.7 million square miles China is the world's fourth-largest country (and is bordered by 15 countries, including Afghanistan to the west, Mongolia to the north, North Korea to the east and Laos to the south). As you'd expect from a country stretching over such a vast area there is enormous geographic diversity. You'll find everything from the world's highest mountains, the Himalayas, to one of its lowest points, the Turpan Depression. There are lush jungles in Yunnan, tropical beaches in Hainan, the vast Gobi Desertin the northwest, frozen wildernesses in the northeast and expansive floodplains in the east. All the mountains, deserts and water, along with the poor quality of much of the country's soil, means that only about 14% of China's land is cultivable. The country has had a large population for a long time and this scarcity of farmable land has resulted in every possible strip being utilized, unintentionally giving rise to some incredible scenery, such as the impossibly steep rice terraces at Longji in Guangxi.