China’s role as an emerging super-power, as well as it’s historically oppressive regime is proving detrimental to the humanity of the Chinese people
HYPOTHESIS - China’s role as an emerging super-power, as well as it’s historically oppressive regime is proving detrimental to the humanity of the Chinese people.
Over the last three decades, China has been steadily climbing the ladder of economic growth in a bid to be acknowledged as a neighbouring super-power of countries such as the United States of America. In light of recent events, it would appear that the China is now fully settled in on the block, as they answer the pleas of a desperate Europe in financial turmoil. And with the International Monetary Fund predicting that China is geared up to overtake the US in becoming the world’s largest economy by the year 2016, it is certain to say that they now hold an immense amount of power internationally. But is this emergence as a super-power, coupled with the country’s oppressive regime having repercussions on the morals of the Chinese? This essay will explore how the country has been affected by its new-found status and long standing communist ruling through news stories collected over a ten-week period.
In 1976 China welcomed the dawn of a new-era, as Deng Xiaoping replaced Mao Zedong as leader of the country’s Communist party. This era has seen radical changes being implemented to the state’s economy as Xiaoping played with a more capitalist approach to investment and trading. International trade was welcomed and as stated in Shirk (2007), ‘The country had shed its ideological straitjacket, replaced central planning with a market economy, and opened wide to the world.’ And thus China began its journey into economic splendour. Boasting massive financial growths, they bounced back with gusto from the 2009 financial crisis, proving resilient and overtaking Japan to be the second largest economy in the world. With coal, petroleum, tobacco and crude oil being amongst many of its exports, China has developed into a country that demands attention. Shirk (2007) goes on to say that; ‘China’s dramatic economic
Over the last three decades, China has been steadily climbing the ladder of economic growth in a bid to be acknowledged as a neighbouring super-power of countries such as the United States of America. In light of recent events, it would appear that the China is now fully settled in on the block, as they answer the pleas of a desperate Europe in financial turmoil. And with the International Monetary Fund predicting that China is geared up to overtake the US in becoming the world’s largest economy by the year 2016, it is certain to say that they now hold an immense amount of power internationally. But is this emergence as a super-power, coupled with the country’s oppressive regime having repercussions on the morals of the Chinese? This essay will explore how the country has been affected by its new-found status and long standing communist ruling through news stories collected over a ten-week period.
In 1976 China welcomed the dawn of a new-era, as Deng Xiaoping replaced Mao Zedong as leader of the country’s Communist party. This era has seen radical changes being implemented to the state’s economy as Xiaoping played with a more capitalist approach to investment and trading. International trade was welcomed and as stated in Shirk (2007), ‘The country had shed its ideological straitjacket, replaced central planning with a market economy, and opened wide to the world.’ And thus China began its journey into economic splendour. Boasting massive financial growths, they bounced back with gusto from the 2009 financial crisis, proving resilient and overtaking Japan to be the second largest economy in the world. With coal, petroleum, tobacco and crude oil being amongst many of its exports, China has developed into a country that demands attention. Shirk (2007) goes on to say that; ‘China’s dramatic economic
Bibliography: ACADEMIC BOOKS Campbell,V., 2004, Information Age Journalism, 2004, Arnold Herbert, J., 2001, Practising Global Journalism, Focal Press Lan, H & Fong, V (1999) Women in republican China: a sourcebook Laughlin, C., 2002, Chinese Reportage, Duke University Press Lee, J., 2007, Will China Fail? The Centre for Independent Studies Shirk, S., 2007, China: Fragile Superpower, Oxford University Press Uradnik, K., 2011, Battleground: Government and Politics, Greenwood ONLINE ARTICLES MENTIONED Zhang, Q (2011) “Chinese media quiet on Ai Weiwei.” BBC News