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The Chinese people are comparably much richer. The symbols of luxury in the 1970s -- bicycles, watches and sewing machines -- have been replaced with computers, cars and villas, in both cities and rural areas. Despite the great wealth gap between the developed eastern areas and developing western regions in China, the whole nation is enjoying its highest level of prosperity in history.
China's gross domestic product topped US$2.2 trillion in 2005 and is third in the world, after the United States and Japan, according to the World Bank Development Report 2006. Goldman Sachs reported that China was also the third largest exporting country in 2006, after the United States and Germany. China's foreign currency reserves are the highest in the world, surpassing US$1 trillion. China appears to have shifted from a primarily agricultural country to an industrial one.
Yet these achievements have only brought partial development, as some areas lag behind in material wealth. Worse, this prosperity has inflicted headaches on both Chinese and international society. China is still a long way from full and comprehensive development.
Domestically, corruption and bribery have become grassroots problems, from the level of the village chief to the mayor of the biggest city. A number of Communist Party members have been caught for seriously disobeying the Party's principles. But these phenomena are now prevalent at all levels of society -- in businesses, schools, and even security bureaus and government administrations.
Internationally, the discovery of slave labor in illegal brick factories has heightened the bad image of China's labor market, already known for poor conditions for workers in the manufacturing industry. Also, Chinese products have been found defective, ranging from food and medicine to toys and industrial products. Items made in China have been greatly discredited.
China is also under pressure from the Western world over other problems including human rights, media freedom and protection of intellectual property. All of these need to be resolved, hopefully through cooperation rather than confrontation.
The issue of corruption is of great concern to top officials in the Chinese Communist Party. If this cancer is not removed, it will spread to other parts of the social body, contaminating social organizations at all levels. The Party could dissolve; the country could collapse, and the Chinese nation could very likely disintegrate.
If this negative trend is not reversed, it will affect not only China's internal stability but also threaten the international establishment; at least the World Trade Organization framework will be at risk. Ahead of the CCP's 17th National Congress this October, and the Beijing Olympics next year, this matter should be high on the Party's agenda.
Ignorance of basic social and ethical norms is the key factor behind these troubles. They should not be blamed on efforts to follow Western systems of management. Capitalism encourages the pursuit of wealth, but most capitalist societies also have rules and principles, as well as a sense of honesty and responsibility. These standards create a fair, level playing field and are the benchmark for real prosperity. Basic social and ethical norms are universal principles relevant to all humanity. Socialist societies are no exception.
Regardless of the merits of its ideology, social system or way of life, awareness of social and ethical norms is essential in present-day China. Adherence to the country's Constitution, laws and regulations is vital to the functioning of a responsible government.
Norms and standards must be clearly outlined in every area of life -- traffic regulations, factory production, business management, family relations, social interaction and government administration. The government must play a crucial role in defining, publicizing and supervising adherence to norms and standards. These must include an awareness of the principles of honesty, equality and justice.
Establishing social and ethical norms in Chinese society can be most effectively accomplished from top down; this is the traditional pattern and is no different in modern China. If the leadership ignores this aspect, material development will be affected and sustainable development is in doubt.
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(Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a PhD candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. He is currently a research fellow at the School of International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, under a grant by the Korea Foundation. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
