The Chinese Individual

                    The global economic crisis that started in 2008 affected China a great deal. Reports of millions of Chinese workers losing jobs were startling and frightening, what with the size and strength of the Chinese government and its range of influence. China’s imports, exports, and foreign direct investment (FDI) all slowed as well. The Chinese government responded by implementing a $586 billion economic stimulus package, and thanks to that was able to weather the effects of this economic predicament. In fact, many economists theorize that if China had not been able to withstand the effects of the economic crisis and had failed to bounce back that the world would be in much worse shape than it currently is. China has become the world’s trading capital, as the industriousness of this nation has prompted much foreign investment, and the effects of depreciating business in China would have very far-reaching effects. In fact, fixed investment accounts for a huge portion of China’s GDP, meaning that there is a lot of foreign dependence on China’s success. This is evident throughout history; China has been deemed a crucial trading post for hundreds of years

                     However, even though China is still the fastest-growing major economy in the world, it seems to be slipping. This last quarter had China’s GDP growth rate at 7.8%, continuing China’s longest sub-8% GDP growth in over twenty years (which has been slightly more than a year thus far). Though this would initially seem problematic for the investors of the world, this slowed growth is in response to what has been a critical issue in Chinese culture: individual happiness.

            China’s growth as a modern nation really began to take off during the Maoist Era. However, it was a very nationalistic growth, by which I mean that the economy may have soared for the nation and the government, but the individual’s wealth did not improve nearly as much. Even now, with a much more capitalistic and citizen-conscious China, the GDP per capita of this forefront powerhouse rates on the same level as Malaysia. However, that’s where this economic reform comes in. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the Chinese government is opting for a slower growth rate, saying instead of a higher growth he would “rather bring down the growth rate to a certain extent in order to solve the fundamental problems,” (Bloomberg.com). This slowed growth rate is as a result of increased government stimulus, such as tax breaks and increased support for small business. Though this is definitely a significant step, there are still many more areas that the Chinese government needs to fix, or in many cases, cease activity. This area is the personal lives of people.

            There is no doubt China is overstepping boundaries in many parts of peoples individual rights. This, as I mentioned before, has been an ongoing problem for a number of years, and has been apparent to almost everyone that China, while making incredible economic progress, is failing to keep up with the evolution in the understanding of human rights. However, it has only been recently that the citizens of China have been able to voice their dissent without disappearing. This may be in part the spread of social media’s range and use, though China still has incredibly strict internet regulations in place; this may be in part due to Western influence, which has been present economically for a number of years, but culturally has been scarce until more recent years, during which it has boomed. In fact, some of the most avid Chinese citizens voicing their concerns have been overseas students, students who completed some part of their education elsewhere, especially America. No matter what the main cause, the citizens of China are managing to speak up, and for the first time these voices are being heard. China’s in the limelight now, scrutinized from thousands of angles, and cannot afford to overlook these issues anymore. So though there are still many basic issues concerning individual welfare, we can count on these citizens to be the catalyst for change.

·         "Xi Says China Chose Slowdown to Allow Economic Adjustment." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 04 Sept. 2013. Web. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-03/xi-says-china-s-slower-economic-growth-is-result-of-adjustment.html

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·         Chowdhuri, Satyabrata. "Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business." Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business. N.p., 21 Apr. 2005. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/GD21Ad01.html

·         The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

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