China’s Iron Rice Bowl – Part 1
China is a country known to exist behind a veil of secrecy and iron curtain. Most of the happening in this single-party ruled nation goes unreported by the world media. But recently media reported of an ‘order’ of Politburo of Communist Party of China that oversees affairs of this ruling party. The order was given to party functionaries and government officials, which says that if they fail to stop any anti-government sloganeering, unrests and protests, they would lose their jobs and authority. Such a specific and panic order clearly indicates the possibility and reality of unrest against the ruling communist establishment.
Collapse of China’s economy is possible crisis that the world now faces. Experts say that the world economy is going through turmoil due to sharp decline in China’s growth indicators. It shows significance of China in global economy. China contributes almost 15% to world GDP. China alone gobbles 50% of global consumption for aluminium, copper and coal. Alternately China is also a leader in food consumption. On one hand China exports to many developed nations but on the other its imports from them which eventually fuels growth to these nations. But due to current economic problems, China has significantly reduced its import from the developed nations, which is hugely impacting their economies.
It is difficult to predict when China’s growth would be back on track. In fact, its feared that in the coming days China is likely to face recession which would make global economy further gloomy and uncertain. These economic problems are significantly fuelling unrests in China which have never been seen in the last 20 years. Protest marches and agitation drives against government have become a common day to day affair. With economic crisis and undemocratic decisions, public unrest is rapidly growing which the Chinese government is finding difficult to control. In China the dictatorial but so called communist establishment has always brutally suppressed all anti-government voices and protests. But now unrests in the age of social media the unrests in this iron-curtained society are getting exposed to the outside world.
To be continued.....