Refl ections on China’s Reform and Opening-up–35 Years on

THE topic of China’s policy of reform and opening-up is invariably associated with Deng Xiaoping， the famous politician and great state leader who initiated China’s transformation from a rigid planned economy to a free economic system. Deng Xiaoping is not only considered to be the father of China’s reform and opening-up， but also credited with implementing reforms that laid the foundation for the breathtaking economic success that we can see in China today.

It is hard to imagine how， within only three decades， the People’s Republic of China managed to transform from an， in most aspects， underdeveloped Third World country to one of the world’s leading economic powers. By 2008， the 30th anniversary of reform and opening-up， China had outstripped Germany in terms of economic power. And in the fi eld of high technology， it had become one of the world’s leading countries. The innovative power of Chinese engineers is truly impressive.

For me， one of the best examples of the great overhauls resulting from Deng’s reforms is the rise of Haier， headquartered in Qingdao. Once an unprofitable state-owned enterprise dependent on government subsidies to stay afloat， Haier became one of the world’s leading electronics companies. Haier’s product range varies from kitchen appliances to highly integrated semiconductors. In 2008， I had the chance to visit this enterprise on one of my numerous trips to China. I remember being impressed by the futuristic architecture of Haier’s headquarters and the beautiful park surrounding it at the company site.

Without Deng’s policy of reform and opening-up， it is likely that the liberalization of politics and society would not have taken place. Nowadays， China is a truly open-minded country， and during several visits here over the past years， I found that in conversations with locals nothing was off limits – there was nothing that my Chinese interlocutors wouldn’t talk about. In the beginning， I even felt a little surprised by their eagerness in debating and their willingness to have open discussions. Furthermore， the topics were by no means vanities； we discussed complex issues such as Taiwan， China’s relationship with Japan， and the situation in Tibet and Xinjiang. I learned a lot in these discussions and found that the key is to face Chinese dialogue partners with an open attitude and the readiness to really listen to what they say.

Inevitably， in the course of China’s opening-up， many new thoughts and ideas made their way into the country. Today， China itself is more and more interested in presenting its art， culture and language to the rest of the world. Confucius Institutes all around the globe， numerous student exchange programs， friendship associations and twin cities – the variety of mutual exchanges between China and the world is huge and more and more difficult to keep track of. Thanks to these exchanges， more people are getting in direct contact， meeting in person， sharing ideas and learning from each other.

At the cultural level， China has bloomed and achieved a diversity that was unimaginable several years ago： The scope of the music sector alone ranges from Peking Opera to experimental theater， from traditional folk music， and Chinese and European classical music to techno and rap. And the field of performing arts and literature is similarly colorful.

In 2009， China was guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair and it was at this event that I had the chance to present my novel， The Magic of the White Snake and with it， make a small contribution to the broad spectrum of books about China.

China of course faces problems in the course of development. One of them is the economic and social gap between regions. The eastern provinces are better off， and the western parts are generally underdeveloped.

Some Western media accuse China of neglecting its western provinces for the benefit of its east. This cannot be further from the truth. On the contrary， for many years， the Chinese government has granted tax benefits to the underdeveloped western regions to give them the chance to catch up with richer provinces of the east. For instance， China executed the value added tax reform in the three northeastern provinces before enforcing it nationwide in order to balance regional revenues and promote economical growth in underdeveloped regions.

In a similar way， the Chinese government has taken a slew of measures to close the economic divide between cities and rural areas. For instance， the state subsidizes farmers’ purchasing of modern agricultural machines and high-quality seeds， and has increased funding for the educational system in rural areas.

Without the economic boom in the east， sustained state assistance to the less developed regions would not be possible. Only a handful of countries in the world have made similar efforts to level out the discrepancies in regional development and to balance social injustice.

Of course， it cannot be ignored that， like many other countries， China is plagued by a widening wealth gap. However， unlike some Western countries in the same situation， China continuously searches for new ideas and practices to alleviate this problem， aiming to build a society that is as harmonious as possible.

Reports of Western media on the human rights situation in China are often one-sided， manipulated in a way that present the country in a negative light. Of course， there are many aspects to this topic that could be criticized. However， to portray the situation as that of a state that permanently disregards the civil rights and liberties of its citizens is not only misleading and undeserved， but also an insult to the People’s Republic.

At the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair I took part in many stimulating and instructive panel discussions. I learned a lot about the publishing landscape of China， and that contemporary Chinese publications don’t shy away from social criticism. However， the German public didn’t seem to pay much attention to this； German newspapers， for example， didn’t write about it at all.

I get the impression that our journalists often try to keep things simple by adopting each others’ preconceived opinions about China and presenting them as the ultimate truth instead of undertaking independent research on China’s present reality.

“Better to see something once with your own eyes than hear about it one hundred times，” people say in China. I fully agree with this proverb and strongly advise anyone who wants to report about China to travel to the country themselves and observe with their own eyes what China is really like.

A Chinese friend of mine， who now runs a business in Freiburg， Germany， once told me， in view of the media campaign in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games， “I just can’t accept that China is seen as such a dark country in the Western world. I love China and I’m happy living here.”

Those outside observers who demand that a historically strictly managed state system open all gates over night misunderstand the reality. Western media barely recognize that reforms of China’s administrative and the judicial systems are making headway， and that the situation of human rights in the country has significantly improved.

From discussions with law professors and experts in Freiburg， I know for a fact that German legal experts participated as consultants in the Chinese judicial reforms and that many paragraphs of the German legal code made their way into the Chinese reform plans.

“The impartiality of the judiciary is an important guarantee for social justice” – this is a main principle of Chinese domestic policy as well as a cornerstone of the Chinese judicial reform. However， as in many other fields， there still remains a lot to do to improve China’s legal system. The aim is to bring its socialist values in line with the principles of the rule of law and to provide the people with as high a degree of legal security as possible.

The reforms are ongoing. In this aspect， too， China is in the process of continuous development. Yet， freedom of thought and acts of conscience are no longer meaningless notions in China. Although restraints in the media and the Internet still exist to some extent， it cannot be denied that unnecessary restrictions in this field， too， are gradually being lifted. In any case， one would be hard pushed to name one country in the world where absolute freedom of opinion exists – it simply doesn’t.

It’s not only the Chinese who benefit from Deng Xiaoping’s policy of reform and opening-up. As China becomes one of the leading engines of the world economy， we in the West not only enjoy cheap， highquality products made in China， but also profit from the huge Chinese market， one of the biggest and most profitable on the globe.

Today， China is also a leader in many high-tech industries. My rooftop， for example， is outfitted with a photovoltaic system produced in China. I decided to install this product because the Chinese manufacturer is among the most experienced and reliable companies in the industry.

In my opinion， China’s commitment during the European sovereign debt crisis should also be highly valued by the West. In this context， the importance of the Chinese partnership was revealed once more. Furthermore， without the strength of the Chinese economy， the creature comforts that many of us enjoy in our countries today would have been impossible.

I think that ultimately， it is a nation’s people who are the driving force behind such impressive success. And in this respect the conditions in China couldn’t be better.