Ben Knapen about China
In today's NRC Handelsblad Knapen writes in his column about the nature of 'Authoritarian Capitalism' in China, referring to recent labour unrest and how the government deals with it. I agree with him that the rather flexible way the government handles recent cases of unrest does not imply a process of democratization in Western terms. Autoritarian capitalism may be hard to undestand for us, but it is a reality with a logic of its own. Personally I think it is deeply rooted in a culture that is not only authoritarian, but also highly materialistic and pragmatic. As long as the government can ensure material improvement, I see no reason why its position would be threatened. Most Chinese people accept a strong government that educates and corrects the people and keeps chaos away. zie de column