Canada and the World Backgrounder articles from January 1996

Canada and the World Backgrounder archives from January 1996

The instability of revolution. (political and economic instability in China could lead to nationalism)
January 1, 1996... There's an old Chinese curse that,is often quoted in the West: "May you live in interesting times." China, today, is going through one of the most interesting times of its history. It's a period of tremendous change. With change comes...

In the name of the father: bureaucracy and family still dominate daily life in China with traditions that go back thousands of years.
January 1, 1996... When Confucius was asked, twenty-five centuries ago, how to bring perfect order to society, he replied, "Let fathers be fathers, let sons be sons." He assumed that the family was the basic unit of society. If every family was properly organized...

Another time, another place. (folk tale about a British railway built in China in the 19th century)
January 1, 1996... A folk tale is told in London of a company that tried for years in the 19th century to be allowed to build a railway in China. At last permission was granted, and the Chinese even said they would buy the railway. When it was built there was a...

A special people. (The early Chinese were technologically more advanced than Europeans and considered themselves a special people)
January 1, 1996... While Europeans were dragging themselves out of the Dark Ages (in the 13th century), the Chinese were enjoying the most sophisticated civilization the world had ever known. With their remarkable achievements, as far back as the sixth century BC,...

Communism meets Confucianism. (growing capitalism in China has created a lack of social services and selfishness among the Chinese)
January 1, 1996... Decades of cradle-to-grave social welfare under communism have undermined notions among the Chinese of responsibility for others. Fifteen years of me-first capitalism has helped create an increasingly selfish society. People have to bribed or...

Inside the bamboo gulag: China has developed a huge prison network for the punishment of those who dare to criticize the government.
January 1, 1996... In a world where many countries routinely ignore human rights, China stands out as a major offender. In Western democracies, free enterprise goes hand in hand with political freedoms: free speech, freedom of religion, minority rights, and...

Trading with the devil? (Canada's policy of continuing business relations with China despite the communist regime's human rights abuses)
January 1, 1996... China's record of human rights abuses raises the question of whether countries honouring basic human rights should carry on business as usual with it. Canada, with its Charter of Rights and Freedoms, has answered this question with a pretty firm...

Bloodbath in Tiananmen Square. (pro-democracy protests that became the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989)
January 1, 1996... China calls itself the People's Republic but its 1.2 billion citizens have so far had little say in running their country. However, with Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms and the rapid invasion of the information highway across China's borders,...

Fact file. (1995 Chinese government report on human rights)
January 1, 1996... Number of words in a 1995 Chinese government report praising the country's human rights record: 23,000

Busting the baby boom. (Chinese government's controversial policies to control population growth)
January 1, 1996... About 15 million baby girls have vanished in China since 1979. That's when the government introduced its One-Child Family Policy to help slow down population growth. In a culture that values boys more than girls, the latter are starved, maimed,...

Country before family. (Mao Zedong abandoned three of his children during the Long March of 1934)
January 1, 1996... On the Long March of 1934, when the Communists tramped 10,000 kilometres to avoid annihilation, Mao Zedong left three of his children with families along the route. Later, he was unable to trace them, but his loss was considered a noble...

Fact file. (sterilization of citizens with mental illness and other ailments was authorized in 16 US states into the 1950s)
January 1, 1996... In the United States well into the 1950s, at least 16 states authorized the sterilization of people with mental illness, epilepsy, and, sometimes, syphilis and alcoholism.

Riding the tiger. (growing corruption in China is shaking the authority and influence of the Communist government among its citizens)
January 1, 1996... The Communist Party is still firmly in control of all significant power in China. But, the communists may be facing a struggle to keep contol. The widespread corruption in China has shaken the faith of the people in government. If the communists...

Rat-catching. (crackdown on the growing corruption among Chinese politicians)
January 1, 1996... Chen Xitong crashed from a mighty height. In September 1995, he lost his position in China's all-powerful Politburo; he was kicked off the Central Committee of the Communist Party; and, he was booted out of the National People's Congress. Mr....

Privileged princelings. (Zhou Beigang is the first privileged son of a Communist leader to be prosecuted for corruption)
January 1, 1996... They are the offspring of the leaders of China's Communist Revolution. Through their family connections, these taizi (princelings) have amassed enormous power and wealth. Depending on how you define them, the princelings number anywhere from...

Fact file. (Chinese Pres Jiang Zemin's political nickname)
January 1, 1996... President Jiang Zemin has been nicknamed "Weather Vane" because he tends to swing with the prevailing political wind.

Land of contrasts. (Guizhou province has remained isolated from the political changes in China)
January 1, 1996... They might drive BMWs and Mercedes-Benz's in Shanghai, but the reforms have passed the interior of China by. Guizhou province is a mountainous region in the southwest. A 1993 survey found that many peasants did not know that the Cultural...

Commu-capitalism: China's recent economic growth has been explosive and it challenges the ability of the country's leaders to control it.
January 1, 1996... Since the beginning of its economic reforms in 1978, China's average real (after inflation) growth has been almost 10% a year. As a result, its gross domestic product (GDP), the value of all its economic activity more or less doubles every eight...

Haves and have nots. (inequality being created by China's robust economic growth)
January 1, 1996... A serious concern for China's leaders is the uneven nature of the country's economic boom. Those in urban areas are rapidly acquiring the "new three" -- television set, washing machine, and refrigerator. The most successful city dwellers are now...

Heroes of the revolution. (like other communist countries, China praises model workers)
January 1, 1996... China, as with other communist regimes, liked to heap praise on model workers and their deeds. One example was Iron Man Wang. Concrete mixing machinery in his factory broke down so Mr. Wang plunged into a tank full of the goop and swam around to...

Pothole alert. (China accounts for a disproportionately high number of fatal car accidents worldwide)
January 1, 1996... China has ony two percent of the world's cars. However, the country accounts for 14% of those killed in road accidents worldwide.

Piracy. (counterfeits account for many consumer products sold in China)
January 1, 1996... Microsoft, the computer software giant, figures than 98 out of every 100 copies of its programs in use in China are illegalrip-off copies. The same piracy is affecting the music business. CDs are copied onto cassettes and sold by street vendors....

Fact file. (telephone directories in China were classified until 1990)
January 1, 1996... Until 1990 the telephone directory in China was a classified document.

Fact file. (brief statistics on China's phenomenal rate of economic growth)
January 1, 1996... Between 1978 and 1994 the Chinese economy quadrupled in size; by 2002 it will double again.

Candidate superpower. (China's potential as a superpower has made US and western allies foster economic and diplomatic relations with the communist regime instead of engaging in confrontation)
January 1, 1996... "Containing China" -- in polite diplomatic circles those words are only whisphered; however, they describe the goal of Western, and particularly American, policty with respect to this Asian giant China is simply too big to Push around. The...

Chinese chequers. (diplomatic maneuvering during US Sec of State Warren Christopher's visit with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen in summer of 1995)
January 1, 1996... The world of international diplomacy can sometimes make a Sherlock Holmes plot look transparent and easy to solve. What appears on the surface often has nothing to do with what is really going on. In the summer of 1995, U.S. Secretary of State...

Building muscle. (Chinese government's efforts to build up its military might as a potential superpower)
January 1, 1996... China's military leaders are conservative, nationalistic, and powerful. In the past, the country has suffered humiliating military defeats at the hands of foreigners. Today's generals are determined not to live through such events again. That's...

Fact file. (anecdote about China's territorial disputes)
January 1, 1996... China has territorial disputes with almost every one of its neighbours.

Realpolitik - a definition. (term coined by German writer Ludwig von Rochau in 1853 describes US policy towards China)
January 1, 1996... Back in 1853, the German writer Ludwig von Rochau coined the word "Realpolitik." Today, the world is widely used among people who study international relations to describe a "foreign policy of the possible." A government might want to take a...

Will the real China please stand up? (Beijing has been increasingly recognized as the seat of government in China over Taipei, Taiwan)
January 1, 1996... At one time or another, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Spanish, the Portuguese, and the Dutch have claimed, settled, or possessed the island called Taiwan. But, mostly the Chinese have occupied the land and for three centuries it was an integral...

Punch-up politics. (fisticuffs that take place in Taiwan's Legislature)
January 1, 1996... Taiwan's Legislature has the reputation of being a place where political debates are often settled with a well-aimed right hook. The reputation is well earned as fist fights break out among members regularly. Elections in December 1995 seem to...

Fact file. (Portuguese were the first foreigners to visit Taiwan)
January 1, 1996... The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit Taiwan. They called it Ilha Formosa -- The Beautiful One.

Keeping the roof on the roof of the world. (history of China's oppressive policies towards Buddhist Tibet)
January 1, 1996... Before the Chinese invasion, Tibet was a large country -- covering an area roughly the same size as Western Europe. Before that, it was even larger. In the seventh century, Tibet was a major power. From the capital of Lhasa, its domain...

The joining of church and state. (Dalai Lama of Tibet controls the affairs of church and state together)
January 1, 1996... Unlike most states, which keep the affairs of the church and the affairs of the government separate, Tibet brought both under the control of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is worshipped by Tibetans as a god-king; he is both spiritual leader and...

Fact file. (anecdote on United Nation's condemnation of China's policy towards Tibet)
January 1, 1996... China has twice been condemned by the United Nations for its behaviour in Tibet.

Countdown to 1997: the people of Hong Kong worry about what lies in store for them as China takes over the British colony.
January 1, 1996... Fortune Magazine is an influential business journal. In 1994, it said that Hong Kong was one of the best places in the world to do business. Eight months later, the editors at Fortune changed their minds; Hong Kong, they said, is in danger of...

Fact file. (statistic on 1995 unemployment in Hong Kong)
January 1, 1996... At 3%, Hong Kong's unemployment rate rose to its highest level in nine years early in 1995.

Occidental Hong Kong. (growing number of Hong Kong Chinese who have immigrated to Canada)
January 1, 1996... Every time a jumbo jet from Hong Kong lands at a Canadian airport an estimated $500,000 filters into the economy right away. Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong Chinese have settled in Canada as the hand over of their homeland to China draws near....