Mao to Come From China

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a birthday which is culturally seen by the Chinese to be particularly significant. It is needless to say then that the celebrations will take place with military precision; something synonymous with the Chinese regime since the 2008 Olympics.

But the excessive security seen last summer could be stepped up even further for this years parade. Twitter and Facebook have been blocked and those living along the parade route were told that they could be shot if they stood on their balcony or even opened their window. Despite all this the parade, like the Olympics, should be nothing short of spectacular. With participants ranging from squadrons of jet pilots to students holding placards; this years parade will be the largest ever. China will also be showing off their new military hardware to which experts around the world will look forward to with baited breath.

All of this sounds very Satlin-esque and many commentators are likening the Chinese regime to the Soviet Union which collapsed in the early 1990s based on tell-tale signs of decline such as corruption, social discontent, autocracy and increasing militarisation. This may all be true to varying degrees but there has been no sign of major protest in China since the Tiananmen protests of 1989. Instead Communist China appears to have made great steps forward in its 60 years. Life expectancy has doubled with better healthcare available and China's ever growing university system now has 20.2 million students in higher education. Admittedly by global standards China is still a poor country with 207 million people living below the World Bank Poverty line but the central government is making efforts in this area.

Another way in which the PRC is different to the USSR is economically. Whilst the Soviets remained isolated in terms of the global economy, China has cemented its place at the centre of the financial world since joining the World Trade Organisation eight years ago and has recently proved itself by being the first country to pull through the global recession. Boasting foreign exchange reserves of $2 trillion, China would be the last country you would bet on having a financial meltdown.

China has achieved this bed of stability through its own flexible brand of Leninism known as the Beijing Consensus. Whilst Mao Zedong would perhaps have more than a few complaints if he came back to modern day China, he would no doubt be happy with the standing of his PRC on the world stage and the inevitable progress it will make in the future.

Magnificent Desolation

Despite no pretty play on the word 'Google' many people across the world will be aware that it was today, Neil Armstrong set foot on the surface of the moon and uttered those famous words. Only a select few have been to the moon, really as part of the ongoing space race with the USSR and astronauts such as Armstrong are well into their 70s.

The traditional 5 year meet of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins at the White House has attracted a lot of attention this year and certainly will more so in 10 years time. The academic discussion around the milestone has varied from sustainable power to looking after the psychological welfare of astronauts when the return to the humdrum of everyday life.

Perhaps 40 years after the Summer of '69 we should be discussing the future of space travel. Americans have become increasingly disinterested with 'the final frontier' both on a micro level and governmental. NASA has less money to work with year on year despite their important work and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS). Many suggest that if America had continued their space campaign as vociferously as in the 1960s there would be an American flag on the surface of Mars.

But the global recession and proposals for widescale healthcare reform only highlight that America may never commit to their space program in the same way again. The time may well have come to pass the buck to growing economies such as China who, it is rumoured, are interested in taking over the ISS.

Perhaps it will be a Chinese flag we first see on the Martian planet.

Falling on Deaf Ears

The Taiwanese are no stranger to taking to the streets as seen in 2006 when they campaigned against the corruption of then president Chen Shui-bian. In 2008 the KMT returned to power with 81 out of the 112 seats available in the Legislative Yuan compared with the 27 seats of Chen's party. Part of the reason for the demise of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was their hostile relations with mainland China as they sought to become more economically independent.

This policy has now been reversed by current president Ma Ying-jeou and to good effect. A slight dip in the polls may be expected due to the global financial crisis but the pro-China policies seem to have kept this to a minimum. In general the stock market has been doing well and very recently the Taiwanese Health Minister was invited to the World Health Assembly as an observer for the first time in 38 years.

However recent suggestions from Ma about the possibility of a free trade agreement with China have sparked opposition from the DPP. They took to the streets on 17th May calling Ma a traitor and attempting to organise a referendum on the issue.

In fact such an agreement may be essential to the economic survival of Taiwan in the future. Similar agreements have already been signed with other South-East Asian countries and will take effect next year. In order to weather this storm a free-trade agreement between Taipei and Beijing must be signed. The protestors may be rightly concerned about some political concessions made in the course of dealings but it will be worth biting the bullet.

The DPP suggest that 600,000 took part in their protest but this figure is exaggerated and police estimate the figure as being nearer 76,000. Nevertheless the government should be worried that opposition may become more radical and there are already signs of this happening. Let's hope this dog stops barking and doesn't develop a bite.