Chinese Competition

It is no wonder that the US is scared. Everybody is watching this progress, and they continue to be stunned. The levels of competition and benchmarks that it sets is simply mind boggling. They have their presence everywhere in the world, and yet they maintain their own. China continues to grow, and they continue to awe us.

First it was the Great wall which mesmerised the world about China, now it is their Great Economic growth. The development in most parts of China is simply mind boggling, and many say this is just the beginning. Along with Economic development, their performance in the sporting arena has improved leaps and bounds. The Athens olympics of 2004 is testament to that. They came close to breaking the American stranglehold on the games, winning 32 Gold medals to America's 34.

The icing on the cake is going to be the 2008 Beijing Olympics. What better place to assert their supremacy in their hometown. This Olympics may see a special side of China, and the next coming decades could belong to the Chinese. With their population everywhere, they will be a global presence larger than the presence of either the US or India.

But, is everything so rosy with China? There are secrets hidden in China. The worst part is that the Chinese authorities can hide these secrets quiet well. Either these secrets are hidden well or they are not highlighted at all. Media freedom, crackdown on dissidents of Tibet or Tiannemen, concealing of the number of people with AIDS and extreme poverty in the remaining country. Inspite of that, the world thinks that China is a gold mine.

The above mentioned factors are the so called Dark side of China. But, i am wondering how the western world sees only light in the China of today. If it was in India or other places, then the dark side would have got equal prominence. Maybe, it is the communist system of government, but other regimes of communism collapsed with all the above, and yet China stands tall. Maybe, the government and the people had the foresight to reform and adjust to the world scenario.

All in all, nobody is denying that China is on a boom, and that the Beijing Olympics will be a showcase of their power. But, there are still dark sides to this giant. One which may take lots of patience and courage to bring light to.