On importing democracy, China learnt they can’t buy the goods
Tourists visit the Yueyang Pavilion, a historical site in Yueyang, Hunan Province, southern China on the shores of the Dongting Lake. The Chinese have resisted outside interference even as they learn from external influences and own history.
China may be developed or developing, it depends on who you ask. The skyscrapers, the digital reach, military advancement and literacy rates, all show it is in the top league. Yet local scholars generally agree that the country has many more steps to make to be really advanced.
“It is true that the GDP per capita in China was only $158 in 1978. China was poorer than many African countries. It has risen to about $10,000. But that is low compared to the US,” said Prof He Wenping from the Institute of West Asian and African Studies, at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She labelled it Chinese style modernisation. The US GDP per capita is eight times that of China.
