[1/2] The Chinese View of the World and the Chinese Model: Retrospective and Perspective

Interesting to compare labour Lee Daokuya with book Russian economist Vladimir Popov, The Chinese Model: Retrospective and Perspective. I read both books recently, and both authors write about China's development, but from slightly different perspectives - domestic Chinese and foreign. (Russian) - and their findings complement each other.

Common features and points of contact

1Recognition of the success of the Chinese model Li Daokui and Vladimir Popov agree that China’s experience of recent decades is uniquely successful. Is the Chinese socio-economic model more competitive than the liberal Western model? Li, in turn, argues that the Chinese system is effective. (specific) It is not doomed to failure, as previously thought in the West. Both authors challenge Western stereotypes: Li is a myth about China’s aggressiveness and inflexibility, Popov is a myth that only a liberal model leads to prosperity. Both highlight the historical roots of the Chinese path: Li - through Confucianism and traditions, Popov - through the analysis of "Asian values" and collectivist culture

2Criticism of Western-centric explanations of history Popov in his book focuses on historical economics: he argues that the rise of the West from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was due not to the supremacy of freedom or democracy, but to the rigid mobilization of resources - an increase in the savings rate, an industrial revolution at the cost of rising inequality and the destruction of traditional communities. Li Daokui does a less detailed analysis of history, but there are similar motives – he repeatedly hints that the West should not consider its values as a universal measure of progress, because China’s path is different, but also successful. Both authors, in effect, proclaim a pluralism of development paths: there is no one right model – the Chinese system with a strong state has also proven its effectiveness.

3Future Model Competition and Risk of Conflict Here, the positions of Li and Popov echo, although the shades are different. Popov directly asks: how will the competition between the collectivist East Asian model and the liberal Western one end? He notes that the Western model is now facing difficulties in losing out on a number of aspects of East Asia – especially because of the West’s reluctance to give up for the common good. (He mentions the rejection of emissions limits, the rise of populism, the unwillingness to curb inequality.). Li Daokui is more optimistic: he hopes for peaceful coexistence, rather than fierce competition before one of the ways wins. However, he also recognizes the existence of tensions and the need to mitigate them. In fact, Popov describes the same situation of competition that worries Li, only Popov as a researcher colder states the facts, and Lee as a publicist calls to relieve tension.

In continuation I am talking about the differences between the authors’ approaches and their conclusions.

#Economics #Strategy #Processes #History #PopularScience