[quote=patb][quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
China is one of the countries I don’t do business in (Russia is another) and for a variety of reasons, the main one being that they don’t pay their bills. Another significant reason is that China is actually getting more dangerous than people realize and the government has less control than people think. You leave the shiny new cities and get out into the countryside and the vibe completely changes and not in a good way.
Most westerners don’t leave the cities, however, and thus don’t see this.[/quote]
what is the vibe in the countryside?[/quote]
Pat: Fairly high level of discontent, and largely due to (IMHO): Government policies, especially annexation of land (and these policies are enforced by extremely corrupt local officials who are far away from Beijing), as well as the perception that, while are many are getting rich in China, far more are not. The disparities are striking, especially when you travel outside of the cities.
It does have the feel of a Potemkin Village. This is going to sound terrible, but China is a filthy country. For all of the talk of China “seeing the light” regarding pollution controls and climate change, its largely untrue. China is pursuing a policy of explosive growth, regardless of the cost. They need to maintain certain growth targets in order to keep social peace, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens when they run out of road. Which they will.
