[EDITORIAL] Evolving China

The political season starts in China this week with the opening of the annual plenary sessions of the National People`s Congress, China`s legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference. Economic transformation measures will top the agenda in the "Two Meetings" but an array of social and political issues will also be discussed at these conferences, which are becoming active forums on national problems, rather than mere rubber-stamp organizations.

The internet plays a significant role in the still-limited bottom-up process in the Chinese system, as representatives are forced to base their arguments on opinions circulating in cyberspace. Preparing for the important conferences, the party and the secretariats of the two representative bodies are reported to have widely sampled public opinion on issues raised by Chinese internet users.

More detail on national problems is being exposed by the Chinese media these days, such as spiraling housing costs, conflicts over urban redevelopment, rising urban crime, corruption in the bureaucracy and even sports, plus ineffective health care and public education. The Chinese public are increasingly vocal about social injustice and inconveniences, and their protests are becoming large and organized.



The present situation in China reminds us of the Korea in the 1970s through the `80s, when economic growth stimulated stronger awareness of political rights - although the great differences in size defy simple analogy. China had the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and the past two decades were a time when electronic communication developed rapidly in China, as it has elswhere, allowing individuals to share information and opinion online about what the government and its leaders decide.

While income growth was unprecedentedly fast, political advancement has remained slow, as the democratic elections at the basic level, which started several years ago in the rural districts, still seem to be at the experimental stage. A revision to the election laws will be proposed to the Two Meetings to ensure equal representation in proportion to the populations in the cities and the countryside and to promote multiple candidacies in local elections.

Since Deng Xiaoping`s rule, the top political echelon in Beijing has managed to maintain a stable leadership as it presided over the capitalist reform that elevated China to what it is today. But tthe ime is approaching in which the political system cannot comfortably accommodate its 1.3 billion people, who are starting to think more about their rights and choices.

In his internet dialogue with citizens last week, Premier Wen Jiabao acknowledged corruption of public office holders as a major problem in today`s China. He then emphasized that "democracy," buttressed by transparent administration, was the best solution to it. The outside world will now watch how the 2010 sessions of the Two Meetings will practice democracy in trying to create a freer, more prosperous China.