Yao Ming and China Throwing Elbows on the World Stage
December 11th, 2006
Great article in the NY Times worth checking out, “China, Shy Giant, Shows Signs of Shedding Its False Modesty.”
The article argues that China has largely stopped denying that it intends to become a major world power. If true, this is a significant shift away from Deng Xiaoping’s famous exhortation and dictum for China to “hide its ambitions and disguise its claws.”
For me, though, the more interesting question is not so much whether China perceives itself as a player (or is no longer humble about again becoming a player), but whether China is really ready for the big time on a number of fronts. I.e., what is China’s true potential and is it living up to that potential?
For example, the China Law blog and the Jottings from the Granite Studio blog recently ran great posts using a wonderful metaphor — NBA basketball player Yao Ming — to analyze this question.
Since Yao Ming arrived in the league, he has been viewed by most as soft and lacking the killer instinct that the Jordans, Magics, Birds and Millers of the NBA world are famous for. True, this past month Yao has stepped up his game and level of intensity, but check out this block on You Tube of Yao Ming (7′6″) by Nate Robinson (5′9″) of the NY Knicks. Ouch! The ultimate humilation for a big man.
In your view is this metaphor more of an accurate description of where China really is on the world stage right now? Do you yet know enought to say? If it is accurate, how many (or few) years before you predict that China will become legit on all meaningful economic and geopolitical fronts? And what will that mean for your kids?
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, China, Misc.
7 Comments Add your own
1. China Law Blog | December 11th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are referring to Cheryl Miller.
2. Chris Carr | December 11th, 2006 at 7:08 pm
Ha Ha. Actually you raise a good point. I always did like how Cheryl Miller played and carried herself more than Reggie!
3. China Law Blog | December 11th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
Good, because I would think Bird, Jordan and Magic otherwise might have a pretty good cause of action against you.
4. Chris Carr | December 11th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Hey, it’s the NBA, where playing defense is not a criteria for greatness or even for mediocrity!
5. Felipe Hernandez | December 13th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
In the past I have noted the parallels between Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘Great White Fleet’ and Admiral Zheng’s Armada, but since he happens to be one of my favorite historical figures (and is mentioned in the article), I’ll reference TR again. It was he who said ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick’ when speaking of foreign affairs - this sounds similar to China’s policy of hiding their claws. Essentially, TR was saying that bragging is pointless and even harmful from an international relations standpoint, it is enough to know you have strength without having to proclaim it, further, that actions speak louder than words.
This notion can also be tied back into the sports metaphor - athletes are often trained to give the ‘political and diplomatic’ response, so as to avoid giving their opponents ‘bulletin board material’ that may motivate them. It seems that China’s policy has been to not give other nations, especially the US, ‘bulletin board material.’ However, these games can only be played so far, eventually someone notices the elephant in the room, and that is what has happened. It is no secret that china is on the rise, regardless of how they try to euphemize the term.
And I agree with the China Law Blog, the name Miller certainly does not belong in the same sentence as Jordan, Magic, and Bird. I had an SAT flashback when reading it.
6. Adib Assassi | December 13th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
I don’t think the Yao Ming metaphor represents China very well. I think that Yao may represent aspects of what we think of Chinese culture: humility, quietness, reservation, patience. But I don’t see Yao as being symbolic of where China is in the world. I don’t see the U.S., let alone Britain for example, jumping up and stuffing the “ball” back in China’s face.
China is here now. I think if it wanted, China could go head to head, toe to toe, with the U.S. right now. I am sure the U.S. politicians are aware of this fact. Imagine what would happen if China shut its doors to the rest of the world. What would happen to our economy? Imagine if China threatened war? I don’t think that the U.S. could stop China.
I’m not suggesting that China would or do any of these things; I’m simply stating that China has the ability to. Similar to Yao, China doesn’t need to tell anyone that it’s big, people know. Like the article stated China is a responsible super-power. I think that the bigger it gets the more it will benefit the rest of the world. The rise of the U.S. of the past 200 years has had a great impact on the rest of the world and has improved the quality of life of so many (current political issues aside). So I don’t think that the rise of China corresponds to the fall of other nations. What does this mean for our kids? It means more opportunities and better lives.
7. Eric Cole | December 15th, 2006 at 2:52 am
An important aspect to remember about absurdly tall basketball players is that they learned how to play basketball because they were tall, not because they were natural athletes. This concept can be applied to China as well. While China is rapidly establishing itself as a superpower, it largely can be attributed to the sheer size of its population. By most standards, China is still far behind the West with regards to manufacturing technologies and processes as well as many other business metrics, China, relies, however, on the maxim that if you hit a square peg hard enough, eventually you can get it through a round hole.
As China moves forward, it will become more efficient and more knowledgeable, contributing to legitimacy on all fronts. Concurrently, its’ citizens will come to expect more, particularly in terms of standards of living. Much of China’s success has stemmed from a dependency on an extremely cheap labor force. If this labor force unites and demands increases in wages, health standards, benefits and such, it will mitigate all the advantages that have propelled China to the upper echelons of the international stage.
Thoughts about the NY Times article:
One of my favorite aspects of diplomatic discourse is that as long as you are playing the diplomatic game and engaging in dialogue, or even promising to engage in dialogue, you can get away with practically anything. It is one of those “the hand is faster than the eye” tricks. A clear example of this can be seen with North Korea, where there will be a massive buildup of tension, and right when we are seemingly on the verge of World War 3, they announce that they are willing to talk. This is followed by no actual talks but instead another cycle of escalating tensions and promised communication.
An interesting side note in the article is how much the fiscal policies of China and the U.S. reflect that of their citizens. China has slowly been amassing foreign reserves to the tune of $1 trillion, much like its citizens, who are known for their frugality. Meanwhile, the U.S. has recently descended into a spending binge with no thought to the future. And just like our government, Americans are known for spending what we do not have, putting it all on our credit cards. Unfortunately, the bill eventually comes, but unlike its individual citizens, the national government cannot file for chapter 11.
China has quietly risen to the role of superpower but does not need to proclaim its status – a true leader does not need to tell anyone that he is in charge, everyone already knows.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed