now
"There is a constant need for new reforms, many new reforms. Every success creates a new problem, so the reforms will never be final......." -William H. Overholt, Student Interview
U.S.-China
".......The Chinese and American economies benefit from each other. China's people's lives have improved because American companies give them jobs and Chinese companies can sell things to America. The American people are much better off because of inexpensive things......that come from China. American companies benefit from making and selling things in China; General Motors sells more cars in China than in America. But we also compete and argue. .....we argue about whether our companies are being treated fairly. Americans believe strongly in democracy and criticize China's undemocratic politics and its lack of human rights. We help our allies like Japan and the Philippines who believe China is grabbing too much control of the sea. China complains about the American navy doing aggressive things near the coast of China........ Despite a lot of... arguments, so far there has been more cooperation; the world will be a much better place if that continues."
-William H. Overholt, Student Interview |
".....From 1978 to 2011, the amount of Chinese students studying abroad was around 1.4 million. And since the reforms in 1978 to 2008, about 390,000 students returned to China after studying abroad. Lots of Chinese students now study overseas......"
-Qianmei Chen, Student Interview |
"Economic policies now require a way to repair local financial debts, to move more labor intensive factories inland, to stimulate consumer demand." -Ezra F. Vogel, Student Interview
"The job mobility and amount of freedom given were a big difference. Before, everyone went to the government department to work because they thought it provided more security..... After the economic zones developed, it created more job opportunities so people did not have to stay where they are born and can go to more developed cities to look for jobs with better pay." -Qianmei Chen, Student Interview
Performance Charts
Click on each chart to enlarge.
Problems today
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"........Today everyone knows they will have enough food, will have a home, and will get some education. One indicator of how much things improved: In the early Mao Zedong era the average Chinese lived only 41 years; today they live an average of 73 years. But after the country has been saved, other things become important. Continuing to focus just on economic growth leads to deterioration of the environment, inequality where some people get very rich unfairly and lots of others stay poor, and an obsession with money leads people to neglect other important values. The collective farms provided health care and education and a safety net for people who lost their jobs, so now China has to work hard to replace those things." -William H. Overholt, Student Interview
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