Much talk can be heard in China about the economic advantages and
disadvantages, opportunities and challenges of China's entry into
the World Trade Organization (WTO), but not much on the potential
impact on Chinese culture. However, the challenges China will face
in regard to its culture would seem to be far more important,
according to Feng Yuzhong, former president of Liaoning University,
professor in economics and advisor to America Biography Institute,
who attended the annual session of the Ninth National People's
Congress in Beijing.
Feng also served as a deputy to the Seventh and Eighth National
People's Congress.
After China's accession into WTO, a basic requirement of the
country -- or a basic obligation the country should meet -- is that
China must observe a series of international rules under the WTO.
That is, China's economic activities and international exchanges
must abide by the rules of the world, Feng said.
The WTO rules were formed during years of development of a market
economy, so they embody the culture of a modern market economy,
which is the most advanced culture in current world. Such a kind of
culture can help eliminate poverty, foolishness and bring about
wealth. In this sense, it is not exaggeration at all that someone
says China's entering the WTO means it has stepped into the modern
civilization, Feng said.
However, the modern market economy culture is incompatible both
with traditional Chinese views as a society and Chinese thinking
formed during the past 50 years of a planned economy. The
challenges China now faces after entering WTO really start here,
and are characterized by the following aspects:
- Attack on monopoly culture. Monopoly is an important feature of
a planned economy, in sharp contrast with competitive culture under
a market economy. Monopoly is not allowed under WTO rules. The WTO
takes it as a given that an anti-monopoly stance shows human
civilization and progress. Monopoly will bring people poverty,
backwardness and corruption. To break up the monopoly in
administration will be a restructuring process of all kinds of
interests. Therefore, the effort surely will touch on the
privileges and vested interests of some departments and groups.
However, it will also promote economic development and social
progress, improve ethic level and competitive awareness of the
nation and enhance enterprises' capability in participating in
international competition.
- Attack on official-based culture. Under the planned economy,
the Chinese culture was based on official ranks. The basic
shortcoming of it is "big government" and "small society."
Following China's joining the WTO, the greatest challenge the
country faces is the transformation of government's functions. The
fairness, transparency, marketization and relaxation of control are
the basic requirements of WTO for each government. In transforming
government's functions, the most complicated and most difficult
task is to transform its function of control of service.
- Attack on infringement culture. Great difference exists between
the culture that infringes on rights formed under a planned economy
and a culture that respects rights formed under a market economy.
The conflict between the two kinds of culture will become sharper
and wider after China's WTO entry. For example, the piracy problem
has affected nearly all people. One reason is that a planned
economy has provided a relatively relaxed social environment for
and favorable public opinion about pirates. Efforts are needed from
all sides in fighting against piracy. And anti-piracy must be done
by cultivating citizens' human awareness and enhancing punishment
of law-violators.
Great changes have taken place in people's mind in the 20-odd years
of reform and opening-up, Feng said. However, some traditional
ideas formed under the planning economy still linger. For instance,
seeing somebody getting rich, people may think of corruption,
bribery and nepotism. Also people sometimes discriminate against
privately-owned or collective economies. All this results from the
idea of belittling commerce in traditional Chinese culture, in the
media and in people's attempts to seek balance in mind. What we
should do now is to change the outdated ideology and create a
favorable legal, policy, financial, human, public opinion and
social environment for privately-owned and collective economies.
Only in this way, can Chinese enterprises improve their
competitiveness and avoid being defeated by foreign enterprises
after China's accession into WTO.
To
sum up, the economic transformation after China enters WTO will
surely bring about a transformation in culture. The cultural
transformation is more complicated and difficult than the economic
transformation. China has now opened its door to accept modern
civilization. Historical experiences have taught the Chinese not to
close the door because of challenges. Globalization is an
irreversible trend. No country can side-step the cultural changes
brought about by international competition and cooperation.
"Chinese characteristics" cannot be an excuse to refuse modern
civilization.
(by Zhang Xiaochong, china.org.cn staff reporter, translated by Li
Jinhui, March 15, 2002)