[Robert Parker]

Hi everyone, been quite sick this week, sorry  for the short post today.

I have previously read the Foreign Affairs article from 2018, and I felt then that the economic changes in China could still lead to a more open society, contrary to the articles conclusion.  I do understand that the state and Party are "doubling down" on their version of State Capitalism, but how long will that be able to sustain itself, and how will the population react to more limits being placed upon them when they have experiened some freedoms.  I have been aware that many rich Chinese are leaving the country as a result of the Govenments limits on personal freedom and private property.  Why not try to purchase real estate elsewhere and live a life free of oversight.  Chinese birth tourism is on the rise, and the American commonwealth of Saipan has recently instituted some stricter policies toward this process.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-island-where-chinese-mothers-deliver-american-babies-1513852203       I am interested in the 2015 WSJ article, and if any of these predictions of a "Crack Up"   still are applicable in 2020, or has the situation changed?  As China is more heavily invested abroad with the BRI, will that have a negative impact in underdeveloped areas of China?  Will the people there, in effect, say "why aren't you helping here first?"  Can China continue to spend money on these overseas projects and still be able to take care of the social and environmental problems it is facing at home?

 

[Robert Parker]

Many of the articles illustrate the growing appreciation of younger citizens of China for individual freedoms.  They also illustrate the natural divide between generations, as was evidenced in the first article.  (I wonder what the chinese terms for "Boomer" and "Millenial" are?  The perceptions held of younger generations by older generations in China seem to me to paralell those in the US.  In terms of the environmental issues, the soil toxicity article was the most jarring.  As farmland is being replaced due to urbanization, the fact that over 19% of the farmland in China is suspected of being toxic is a frightening statistic.  What are the future heath impacts of this, combined with the increased air and water pollution that China has experienced due to it's rapid industrial expansion?  Will the government include an EPA like structure in the future concerning industry, energy use and the environment?

 

[Robert Parker]

The theme of rapid urbanization and the resulting decline in rural population, access to education and the resulting diminished culture is clear.  With all of the impressive economic growth that China has displayed over the past several decades, are these some of the "hidden costs" of that growth? As more migrant workers are in urban areas, how long before the economic and social discrepancies create cracks in th system?  What of the Left Behind families? Is this a sign that the government is okay (for now) with a richer urban society and a continually poorer urban one? Are there plans for investment in the rural areas as well, and if so will this be in the form of the creation of more manufacturing centers?

[Robert Parker]

The first article caught my interest, as I had often wondered what happened to the people displaced by government projects in China ( Three Gorges Dam etc).  It is not surprising that this increase in urbanization is occuring, but 300 villages a day is an amazing rate.  The continued crackdown on religious groups is not surprising, as with any totalitarian state, a religious group may be a threat becuse their highest alligience may not be to the state.  How will this crckdown on Christianity impact social structures when so many of the new converts are of the urban middle classes?  Likewise the internet crackdown is likely to continue, mainly as a means to control political opposition.  Many ofthe Chinese students at my school have mentioned the nearly complete lack of monitoring that goes on regarding the internet in the United States.  One student told me of game and internet restrictions (time allowed and access to certain sites) for minors with home internet.

[Robert Parker]

I have always wondered how China's blending of a command economy with elements of a free market would impact their society, not just from an economic perpective, but a social one.  Some of the obvious ones are growing income gaps and a more wealth based socail stratification.  It did not surprise me that State Owned companies received preferential treatment from the banking system, but what will tat mean for the reliability of those institutions if the SOE's are not forced to repay their loans on time as private companies are.

[Robert Parker]

How effective will the Hokou system continue to be with the continued increase in influence of the market system?  I loved the first video, as a "map nerd"  I got a lot out of the graphs, maps and charts provided, and the sattelite photographs were amazing.  I was struck by the prblems with flooding along the Yellow river and similar issues with levys along the Mississippi river.  As the levy system raises the river above the surrounding land, and breach becomes catostrophic.  I would also like to find out more about the people and towns displaced by the Three Gorges dam Project, and the possibility of the pressure on the mountains creating eathquakes.

What, if any demographic changes have occured in the past 40 years regarding male/ female ratios? There was a bit mentioned but I didn't see any clear numbers?  If there are many more men than women in these past two generations, what kind of social impact has that created?

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