No, not the UK this time, although it will escalate there soon enough, it seems.
In the late 1960s when I was working in Dubai, many goods were shipped there from China. Part of my job was to sign letters of credit on behalf of the importing customer in Dubai that would guarantee payment by the Bank to the shipper in China if all conditions of shipment were met and the correct documentation was produced. One such document was insurance cover for the goods for damage and other eventualities, including delays caused by Strikes, Riots and Civil Commotions - the SRCC clauses.
After we had sent the Letter of Credit to the processing bank in China which called for such clauses we would receive a very politely worded letter from the Bank saying that whilst they would arrange most of the insurance they could not cover SRCC - basically because they believed in the freedom of the workers to undertake such activities.
So far so good!
From the end of the 70s until today, the economic miracle of China has been astounding, phenomenal, meteoric - you choose. A country that has grown in 30 years what others would have taken 100 years to achieve. Alright, so it was off an incredibly low base, but it shows little sign of abating. Every newspaper or magazine that you pick up today talks somewhere about China. How its position in the world has changed. The economic juggernaut that people fear will swamp the world. The debate is not really about whether - it is about when. Comparisons are made between China and other emerging market economies - and many seem to agree that China holds most of the cards.
I am not an economist, so I have to rely on the prognostications of my learned colleagues and friends in this regard. I believe them. The leadership, and their management of the Chinese economy has been impressive. I suspect it will continue in the same vein after the change of leaders in 2012 ... but I have a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that not all is well.
China, like other places in Asia, does not always do things the Western way. The recent detention of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo is not something that many outside China would condone. Neither did people like the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi. We don't like it, but it happens - and I would say that on balance there have been more forward than backward steps in China over the last 30 years. However, and as tends to happen as countries grow and develop, more people are wanting to voice their opinions. To have their say.
And this is where Strikes, Riots and Civil Commotions reappear... and may be just the threat to the continuing economic strength of China that it does not need.
As China continues to open its doors, as it must, information not only flows in - but so does information flow out. And once again, in recent weeks, we have seen reports of unrest in various parts of China. Earlier in the year we had the problems over working conditions and wages, resulting in some significant strike action. More recently there have been reports of people protesting at corruption within the administration, and particularly the police it would seem - but it is being directed at all types of injustices - perceived or otherwise, although from the reports I have read the protests would appear to be based on facts rather than perceptions.
But remember this. Protests in China given the size of even the smaller cities are not often assemblies of 2 or 300 people. They are more like 20 or 30,000 people - and they are likely to get bigger, not smaller as people find their voices. And this, perhaps, is where the trouble starts. Not with an economy that suddenly falters in its progress, but with a social structure that is "under construction". It is a work in progress that I believe needs careful (and sympathetic) handling. Any failure to address it will be like pretending that baby alligators don't grow into adults at some stage - with huge teeth, and much harder to control.
Every country has an Achilles Heel somewhere. In terms of China, whilst its economy continues to be well-managed and growing, it needs to be wary of a social structure that is developing more independent thought which it is less afraid to vocalise, in a country where traditions suggest that Riots and Civil Commotions are perfectly legitimate.
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