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| "Forecasts of China and US GDP to 2030" |
China is a communist nation and is still. Not in terms of equality but in supposedly centralized political elites making decisions of its budget.
Its citizens resort to riots on the streets to protest against any of what the state officials do. There are some 80,000 riots on the streets a year in China. Some of it is successful, such as the village residents protest against building chemical plants in Dalian. There is no election and no referendum. There reportedly millions of political 'prisoners' in concentration camps.
The rights of its citizens are not protected; most notably the air, which is somewhat very visible to all its people and the people who are there for business as well. The air pollution is reportedly killing hundreds of thousands of people each year. The problem is failed to prompt its government to take effective measures so far.
The rights of the minority is even in worse situation. The riots in Uygur has killed hundreds of its citizens. In Tibet, more than a hundred Tibetans committed self-immolation to protest against the policies of the government to assimilate their culture in what they call 'cultural genocide'.
Just as the lives are cheap in China, the rights of human intellects are as well. The intellectual property rights still are not protected despite all the claims from all around the globe, even when the patent applications from China ranks highest in the world. What good comes out of filing patents if someone else copies and/or sell them?
The problems concerning human rights and intellectual properties, come from the lack of political process that guarantee the rights of its citizens. Without elections, without referendums, without freedom of expressions, how could the people have their says and reflects in public policies? When officials are corrupt, who are to make the claims other than its citizens, the ordinary citizens who are not getting the checks from big corporations whose projects harm their lives? Freedom of press is essential in this regard to gather up all the good ideas and opinions of the people. Free and fair elections are vital in passing laws to implement them.
President Xi talks about political reforms. Let us hope he chooses the way to modernize and democratize the political systems in China. Let us hope he chooses to protect the rights of its people over corporate greed and tyranny. Let us hope the talk today will bring results for the peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.