That Guy From China

I’m gonna’ kick this blog off with what I know will be a fairly controversial stance.  I will preface this by explaining that I have lived and worked in China for 15 years, from 1993-2008.  I have established two successful companies there, as well as a non-profit organization working with one of China’s ethnic minority groups.  I’ve had my life seriously impacted by Chinese gov’t policies; and have many Chinese friends who’ve suffered (some greatly) at the hands of the Chinese government.

I do not in any way deny that there are abuses there.  Nor do I feel that we should turn a blind eye to those abuses.

But I think that we need some perspective.

I’m Canadian…and proud of being Canadian.  I was born two days before Canada’s centennial birthday, so Canada is almost exactly 100 years older than me.  Which makes Canada 141 years old at the time I’m writing this.   141 years ago, Canada was founded as a nation, based on principles of democracy and equality.  Yet women were not allowed to vote until 1918.  And non-white immigrant groups, especially Chinese, were not only not allowed to vote, but actively discriminated against (in 1885 implemented the head tax, and in 1923 outlawed most Chinese immigration).  And if you want to argue that those are ancient history…what about WW II, when more than 22,000 Japanese Canadians were rounded up and put in internment camps, and all their property seized (stolen) by the government?

And this doesn’t even get into the shameful manner in which we treated Canada’s indigenous peoples throughout most of our history.

My point…a country that was founded on the principles of democracy and equality has taken 141 years to reach the point we are at today.  During that time, we’ve committed terrible abuses of our own.  But we did — slowly — change, evolve, and improve.  So that today, we live in a country that, while it still has problems, nevertheless is an excellent example to the world of both democracy and equality.

Now, let us consider China.

China is 5000 years old.  In all that time, it has never had the principles of democracy or equality.  Yes, there have been terrible abuses, both past and present.

But the fact is, the Chinese people today enjoy greater freedom than at any other time in China’s history.  And those freedoms are continuing to increase.  When I went to China in 1993, I had to get permission from the police to visit a Chinese person’s home; today, Chinese and foreigners mix freely, and frequently.  In 1993, almost no Chinese were allowed to leave China, and those who did were accompanied by political monitors; today, Chinese the majority of Chinese citizens are free to travel internationally as they please, so long as they have enough money (in fact, the main barrier to Chinese travel today is not the Chinese gov’t, but rather foreign gov’ts who refuse to grant visas to many of those potential travellers).  In 1993, discussion of any political issues would get you in serious trouble; today, politics are discussed everywhere (albeit there’s still a line you can’t cross).  In 1993, the Chinese gov’t had an iron grip on information, and the people had little or no opportunity to get any other perspectives or news; today, with the internet and the frequent interaction with foreigners, Chinese have access to tons of information that can no longer be controlled by the government (their efforts to block certain portions of the internet has really only resulted in teaching Chinese how to hack around those blocks).

No, China is not perfect; and yes, there are still plenty of abuses.

But look how far China has come in only fifteen years!!! It has taken us 141 years, in a nation founded on principles of democracy and equality, to reach the point we are at today!  It is ludicrous to expect that another nation — particularly one that has never had those principles as the basis of its government — to accomplish the same changes in only ten or fifteen years!

So yes…we should push China to continue changing; and no, we should never turn a blind eye to the abuses, or a deaf ear to cries for help.  But we should also recognize that China is moving in the right direction.  And instead of simply reviling them with blanket condemnation, we should also be recognizing the positive changes that have taken place, and seeking to build cooperative ties with them in order to encourage continued positive development in the future.

Canada has, in fact, been instrumental in some of China’s changes.  We have had exchanges of lawyers, for example; where Chinese lawyers came to Canada to learn about the Canadian legal system, and Canadian lawyers went to China to learn about their legal system.  Some of the changes taking place in Chinese law today are a result of those exchanges.

It is very easy to simply sit back in the comfort of our Canadian homes, and condemn the Chinese government.  Not only is it easy…it makes us feel good, too.  It shows how much better we are.  It is not so easy to take the time to really understand the full situation in China, and just how complex it is.  Nor is it easy to examine our own history, and our own abuses.

And it takes time, and effort, and risk to build ties between Canada and China.

Yet, if you are truly concerned about freedom and equality for the Chinese people — and not just using it as an excuse to play the holier-than-thou game — then I’d suggest that this is exactly what we need to do.  To let the Chinese government know that we absolutely condemn the abuses within their system; but that we also are willing to work with them, as equal partners, to continue the process of positive change within that country.  And to offer them the experience that we ourselves have had, in evolving from a nation that killed its native peoples and had blatantly racist policies, to a nation where we enjoy one of the highest standards of freedom and equality in the world.

For the past 15 years — from 1993-2008 — I have been living and working in China.  During that time, I’ve established two successful businesses, and a non-profit organization.  Probably 75% of my work in China focused on cross-cultural issues: helping foreign companies/organizations understand how to do business in China; and helping Chinese companies/organizations understand how to do business with the West.  The core of my focus was on cultural differences, and helping both sides understand each other better.

I was, however, rather embarassed at times to be a Canadian.  While American, Australian, and European companies were expanding aggressively into China, Canadian companies were doing almost nothing.  In fact, the vast majority of Canadian professionals in China are working for American or European companies.

Now that I’m back in Canada, I’ve decided to focus my attentions specifically on Canadian businesses, and encourage/push them to be more proactive and aggressive in getting into the Chinese market.  This blog has been set up to comment on some of the issues that are relevant to Canadians doing business in China.

In addition, I’m going to be hosting a monthly seminar called The China Challenge, which will provide very practical and useful advice for those who are interested in China.

Unfortunately, while I personally enjoy debates, and dislike censorship, the practical reality is that I need to be very cautious about my reputation in China.  If this blog were to have a lot of strongly anti-China posts, it not only could cause problems for me to renew my Chinese visa, but could also cause problems for my non-profit organization, and the Chinese who are associated with it.  Therefore, I’ve decided that all posts will require approval before they appear; and if I feel that the post would cause problems, I may either edit the content, or not post it at all.

My apologies in advance to those who I know will be upset or offended by this; but I’d point out that this in no manner, shape, or form stifles your own freedom of speech.  There are tons of places available to you where you can say whatever you like, and let your own sentiments and beliefs be known.  And I’d encourage you to use them.

That being said, I do hope that people will find this blog interesting and useful; and I do look forward to peoples comments and opinions.