Opinion | The Communist Party of China can again prove doomsayers wrong
By Augustus K. Yeung
INTRODUCTION
The Communist Party of China – born in an era of unbearable social injustice in 1921 – is now 101 years old. Never in the history of humankind has so many lives been lost as its early leaders and founders defended their cause and commitment to the belief that social injustice could one day be significantly attenuated. Or be phased out in the third world.
Today, the Party has been much strengthened; it is well-recognized as possibly the strongest, the best political party and the one that gives the brightest hope for the liberation of fellow human beings from hunger and poverty.
Unfortunately, there are doomsayers who continue to smear China. In excerpts from a speech for a security lecture of a think tank in London that were released on Monday, October 10, Jeremy Fleming, director of UK Government Communications Headquarters, warned Western countries of the "threat" from China taking advantage of technology.
In the extracts from the speech Fleming was to deliver on Tuesday at the annual Royal United Services Institute "security lecture", the UK spy chief hyped up the tired old "China threat" in a bid to uplift the fame of his agency.
Perhaps, China should temporarily slow down its pace in pursuing high-technological developments, and to focus squarely on building neighborhood ties that bind. It is hoped that being a good Samaritan would stop America and its allies from continuously sanctioning China in a negative way – which is spiraling out of control.
The following is a textbook material of China doing good in Laos, one ASEAN country, which is being scientifically and socially engineered by Chinese experts in the rural rejuvenation of its economy.
Life Keeps Getting Better for the Chosen Laotian Village.
In the mountains of northern Laos, life keeps getting better for the villagers of Ban Xor. According to Khamchan Boudvinai, deputy village chief, everyone has now a little more money to spend.
In 2017, the Ban Xor village was chosen to pilot a China-backed poverty alleviation project. Two hours' drive north of capital Vientiane, it was one of the first communities in Laos to benefit from China's years of hard work to end poverty.
Khamchan has seen for himself how rural communities in China were transformed.
"The first time I went to China was in 2015 and the second time was in 2019. I went to see the poverty alleviation program in action…I was there to learn. I saw new technology being used for commercial crops such as mangoes and bananas, and got some training in financial management," he says.
Village Chief was Convinced Chinese Experience in Poverty Eradication would help…
Khamchan returned for his visits, not just interested in modern agriculture, but determined to transform his village. He was convinced that the Chinese experience in poverty eradication would be replicated in Laos. And that there was to it than just growing more crops.
"I saw rice growing in well-managed terraces that had become tourist attractions. It was thought-provoking." Of the 2,000 people who live in Ban Xor, half still make less than $700 a year. However, in the past three years, roads and infrastructure have improved. A new bridge has been built.
The village has better public services, and village affairs are much better managed: the villagers organize, supervise and manage themselves as a cooperative.
The rice crop in the village was never enough, but since people switched to corn and cassava, the harvest improved, so did their incomes along with it, according to villagers.
"We have been quick to learn from China. We have teams raising cattle, growing corn and cassava, and weaving cloth," they say.
"Transportation has become much better since the project began. In China officials and villagers really trust each other," says Khamchan. "Community spirit is prospering." (Source: Xinhua)
CONCLUSION
China is significantly alleviating its own poverty problem. Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron was so impressed that he wrote an article to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL some years ago, a sign that he was convinced and converted into a "friend" of China, rather than a "foe" like Jeremy Fleming, the UK spy chief that was barking up the wrong tree by hyping up China tech threat.
If public perception can be structured, can China make good use of this highly successful experience in the Laotian village by turning the model into a campaign, or a movement? Perhaps, China should altruistically send more of such teams to the poor villages that are geographically inaccessible, and help people build roads, bridges and better manage their communal cooperatives, the way the Chinese experts have helped the Laotian village.
After all, the Communist Party of China has tirelessly reiterated its "continuous commitment to reform and economic openness."
Committed to the ideal of "building a community with a shared future for mankind" and shouldering its responsibility as a major country, China is intent on assuming a more proactive role on the international stage, rather than being wrongly and unjustly perceived as a "threat".
As ASEAN is a bloc which has caught the watchful eyes of the U.S. and its allies, China can reach out more positively and overtly to the most backward rural areas in the region.
This paradigm shift from cut-throat competition to village-rejuvenation would benefit the poor countries such as Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific region, assist the ascending of Asia, and shore up China's sagging public image in America and the unfriendly wild West.
Incidentally, Indonesia is preparing to start Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail service that will cut travel time between two cities from the current three hours to about 40 minutes. The railway line, which connects Indonesia's capital Jakarta and Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province, is part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The Indonesian president announced that he has invited President Xi Jinping to be the nation's first guest of honor.
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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