There's More Than Just the Economy

By EO Editorial Board
Published: 2009-03-09
Cover, issue No. 409, March 9, 2009
Original article: [Chinese]

Economic issues have dominated China's ongoing top legislative meets in Beijing.

A majority of the proposals at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have been economically related, including questions over the breakdown of the 4-trillion-yuan stimulus spending, proposals to spur domestic demand, and calls for expanding cross-border trade.

These economic issues - if we insist are not severe enough to be called an "economic crisis" yet - can be likened to a stranger who has come to our door and rung the bell repeatedly.

When everyone ignores the uninvited call, the stranger bangs on the door. At some point, those inside can no longer disregard the knocking anymore.

In fact, under such circumstances, the best thing to do is to open the door, and find ways to persuade the stranger to leave.

Facing a host of uninvited economic problems, our society has appeared to have come together to reach an unspoken consensus -- that our utmost priority is fixing the economy. This single thought has overwhelmed us, and it has overshadowed a myriad of other issues we used to be concern about.

Let us look back on them...

One, we debated the negative impacts of China's rapid growth on the environment; two, we questioned the growing income gap between different social groups, and voiced up on behalf of migrant and sweatshop workers, slum residents and the like; three, we spoke out against crony capitalism; four, we pushed for more economic, social, and political reforms; five, we demanded for legislative improvements; six, we pointed out the imbalanced development between various regions; seven, we talked about foreign policy and how we could persuade other nations to come to terms with a rising China; eight, we discussed how to upgrade our production mode from "made-in-China" to "created-in-China"; nine, we pondered land reform in rural areas; ten, .......

The list is inexhaustible.

We should not cling to this "cast away" mentality, which refers to the assumption that if stranded on a desert island, we could only pick the most important issues to focus on.

In the past, our list of priorities was massive and diversified. It was evident that we had started to approach problems from multiple angles and try to resolve them holistically.

In the long run, a "cast away" mentality could blunt this momentum, as it encourages us to focus on short-term results.

Sure, if we fail to prioritize economic issues now, the consequences may be dire; but then again, what is the main objective in avoiding such consequences?

To develop our economy, or to ensure a stable economic growth, is the path we choose to achieve our goals, but the path itself is not the goal. The above-mentioned long list of concerns are also paths leading to our goal of creating a harmonious society. They are equally important. 

We are not suggesting that pro-active measures to deal with the economy are unnecessary. We are stressing, however, that while resolving our immediate problems, we should not brush aside other future concerns.

Time can mend all crises. In the last century alone, we witnessed numerous ones -- wars, famines, natural disasters, over-passionate social movements, isolation by the international community -- indeed, we have never been short of crises.

But if we look back critically, we see that short-sighted moves during one crisis often led to another crisis down the line. Put another way, tearing down the roof to let fresh air into a house during a hot summer day is not a wise solution.

Ten years from now we should be able to look back on today and be proud that despite facing great challenges, we did not abandon our long-term goals in pursuit of short-term relief.

Economic issues aside, there is much out there that demands our attention.