Wandering China

Wandering China is pleased to launch the very first of the China8 series of interviews. China8 is where China’s perceived and presenting selves are discussed. This it hopes to achieve by looking closely at both China’s international and domestic coherence of its harmonious ascent. Ultimately, Wandering China hopes these perspectives will be helpful for anyone making sense of the fourth rise of the middle kingdom.

On close examination it seems the Chinese are finding it increasingly difficult to bide their time.

Laying low may have been the mandate in dealing multilaterally with the world from Deng’s point of view. However, without the superhero-charged idolatry of the monolith of party holding as much currency, legitimacy to rule China has for the first time in a very long while shifted to one that is based on performance indicators and this means that Chinese leaders now have both top-down and bottom-up pressure to perform. Sons of Heaven need not apply as China communicates a resurrection vaunted to be peaceful and harmonious. While Wandering China makes sense of China from afar, China South America is right in the thick of action being based in Shanghai. WC is pleased to glean first hand knowledge from fellow open source commentator Bennett, owner of China South America who is well placed to read between China’s rhetorical lines. We first met witnessing first hand the identity performance of the Shanghai Expo and it is a pleasure to exchange thoughts again.

For this first instalment, we focus on international relations and implications for trade with the world’s factory. Eight questions based on perceptions of China’s peaceful rise are posed to generate a wider range of open source perspectives in making sense of Chinese political rhetoric and intent. Read the rest of this entry »

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