Shortly after the Economic Observer published its first issue in 2001, China entered the World Trade Organization, and controversy flared over China’s future. Some said that, shackled by its own systems, China doomed to defeat by its competitors in the global market. Others said that global market competition would force China to adopt more generally-accepted values and international rules, which have also been the guiding principles for its opening-up policies.

Besides these possibilities, EO columnist Qin Hui sees a third one, which he says is the strongest. According to Qin, China’s participation in the world market has brought challenges to today's two dominant systems; the free market and the welfare state . "Made in China" is changing the global economic structure: all of the welfare states are being forced to lower their standards in welfare services, while free market economies are rebuilding trade barriers.

Absorbing the world’s capital, procuring materials from the world over, exporting products across the globe-- already closely linked to the global economy, the world's factory can hardly slacken its pace in the short run. Such a development pattern, in the mean time, is also changing the labor-capital relationship in many countries, and influencing world values in development and civilization. How will an opening and rising China influence the world? The question has come so soon that we don’t even know what to do.

Some will argue that as long as we are strong enough, we don’t have to make any promise. But history has taught us that in the not-so-distant past, the former Soviet Union fell apart thanks to its blind hunger for power accumulation and the neglect of civil rights and reasonable distribution of resources.

To some extent, a society’s lack of public welfare lowers trade cost and brings high productivity. If imperfect public welfare systems leads to greater absorption of global capital, is this the ultimate goal of our development? Is this all we want?

All rising countries experience growing pains. It’s the mission of statesmen as well as every responsible citizen to overcome them and assume social responsibility. This year we want to present this challenge to business people, who as beneficiaries of globalization, are intellectually invested in it. Under an open economy system, every enterprise is of significant value in the economic chain. The simply-business attitude may create profit today, but it will turn into costs in the future.

When it comes to social responsibilities and national spirit, many in the Chinese business community undertake deep commitments externally, but when it comes to fulfilling a contract, or managing their own operations, they disappoint. They should always bear in mind that activities in the market involve great social responsibilities, and that a more competitive enterprise means fulfillment of such responsibilities. A responsible enterpriser should not help out charities with money supposed to be distributed to shareholders, or haphazardly plant trees with bank loans, or spend company money on their own personal whims.