China's Entry Onto the World Stage

I watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics with mom, dad, and Aunt Ruth last night and was incredibly impressed. By far, this was the most impressive opening to the games yet. The combination of human talent, incredible technology, artistry, creativity, and pyrotechnics drew the breath away. From the creation of a Chinese print from the footprints of the athletes to the way the torch was lit by a man running through the air following a scroll opening around the stadium, it was one of the most impressive performances I've ever seen.

This was China's moment to be in the spotlight of the world and they came off as beyond impressive. Perceptions matter and the image China gave was of a world-class nation with great civility, creativity, and technical prowess. They intended to impress and succeeded brilliantly.

As I wrote previously, China has a host of internal problems but if they can address these with equal energy, dynamism, and creativity, their future may be looking bright. I am hopeful that as the nation progresses economically, their freedoms will grow as well. If China develops basic freedoms for their people such as freedom of press, assembly, worship, etc., the potential size of their internal market and the sheer size of their population could generate an economic and technological power the likes the world has never seen. Much of this rests on how well China handles their internal conflicts -- if they handle them by loosening the grip of the government, I expect them to go through a rocky, but positive transition to a world-class superpower. If they tighten the grip of government control and continue to deny their citizens basic liberties, I expect greater internal conflict that will cause increasing problems for the massive country. I am hopeful, but uncertain about China's future.

Here more thoughts:

As was stated by broadcasters over and over again, China's a country of tremendous challenges—environmental, economic and human rights-wise—and as a journalist heading into that mess some time in the near future, I'm all too aware of the problems that await me. But after last night's performance, I walked away with a small overflow of pride for my heritage and a lot of hope for a brighter future. I guess that's what the Olympics are all about. [Xinhua]

And still more:

Anyone watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony from Beijing could not help but be awed by the extraordinary spectacle, a significant achievement in wedding modern technology with ancient artistic skills. It is easy to believe that many will say this symbolizes China's rise in the world to a position of leadership if not preeminence.

It is extremely important to realize that this Olympic ceremony would never have happened except for the silent but profoundly important economic revolution that happened in China that was entirely caused by the opening up of the economy to free competitive markets, free enterprise, international competition, and the creation of a rule of law and government stability (more needs to be done in these areas, to be sure). People were empowered economically, and government retreated from people's lives and allowed a thousand flowers to bloom and we that, let the good times roll. That gave China the resources and international respect that allowed this magnificent artistic/technological achievement to occur.

There is no question that China will become an increasingly prominent nation in world economics and politics. Let's hope what we saw last night is a sign of the positive changes that are yet to come.