To: Lim, Malaysia

'Respect for elders'

Perhaps by being less respectful to the CCP elders then China will make progress for the whole population not just the wealthy middle class.

Bear in mind that China invaded independent Tibet by military force and still occupies that country illegally.

Colin, Carmarthen, United Kingdom

China will also face revolution in Tibet. Tibetans have never accepted Chinese rule as legitimate & have consistently struggled for freedom. Chinese colonialism in Tibet will eventually fail & Tibetans will again be free from imperialism.

Wangchuk, New York, USA

Colin, Carmarthen, UK asked: " Would you not prefer to be adults instead of children?".
Is it not the cycle of life? Birth - baby - child - adult - old age - death. You & I go through these stages. Please do not tell me Western people jump stage? To the Chinese, being respectful to elders is in.

Lim , Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Colin, Carmarthen, UK
I don't exaggerate. Even PE of US Obama wants to up the US space programes so that US will still dominate space. The fact that West continues to entertain Chinese dissidents & the Dalai Lama. The fact that the West is reluctant to share technology & continues to meddle.

Lim , Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Just wanted to say that representative democracy does not guarantee good governance and equally, a single-party government can still be a good government.
Compare China's classrooms to the UK's classrooms, for example.

Peter, UK,

To: Alex Mesh.

'People in China love their government.'

Yes like a child loves a father. That is the CCP way of things. But if that child disobeys then they will be punished. Is that not true? That was also the way of the Emperors!

Would you not prefer to be adults instead of children?

Colin, Carmarthen, United Kingdom

I am living in Beijing more than 2 years now. I can assure you that nothing will happen with chinese government in the near future. People in China love their government and the country. Many things changed since 1997 and the author can not be objective regarding this topic. Change is significant.

Alex Mesh, Beijing-Novosibirsk, Russia-China

To Colin Carmarthen UK.
During the time of the CCP we have seen the rise to the forefront of many Chinese Classical musicians.Prior to the recession many painters of this era have produced highly collectable artwork.

sam, Akld, New Zealand

Jim Wills - I agree, however the problem is how can a population be reduced, genocide? nuclear destruction?biological agent release (aka Twelve Monkeys) . Perhaps voluntary euthenasia as portrayed in the film Soylent Green to make food protein for the masses.

Richard, Glasgow,

The last thing the world needs is civil unrest in China. The 1.3 billion people would find, like Russia, their kind of democracy would be the rich grinding their heels in the faces of the poor. The average Russian does not wish for western democracy, look at it now,
vast wealth for the few

Phil de Buquet, Newport,

To: Lim, Malaysia.

You exaggerate. The West does not want to see China fall, just improve. Despite the mentioned 5,000 years of civilization, little real cultural progress has been made during the last 50 years. Everything of artistic and creative value in China dates from before communist rule.

Colin, Carmarthen, United Kingdom

The Chinese are pragmatic people, tuned to hardship and hard times. They had 5000 years of civilization & had learned the up & downs in life. To day, China is catching up & looks like the West is getting worried. It wants to see China fall so that it will continue to be dominant. Poor West..

Lim , Johor Bahru, Malaysia

The unemployment rate in China is sky high, most of the youngsters here are seeking post graduate studies, for there are no jobs for ungraduates, by the time they finish there are no jobs for PHDs. Education is the main business in China, the best any student can aspire to is become a teacher.

Tom, Taiyuan, China

To: Nick, Wuhan.

Why would you not participate in any kinds of protest? And why is it that Chinese young people have no teen culture of your own? Civilisations move forward by improvement through generations, bringing in new ideas and throwing out the old. You do that yourself, not by permission.

Colin, Carmarthen, United Kingdom

Education should come first than the power.

Chak, beijing, china

i am an undergaduate. i would not participate in any kinds of protest should there be a rebellion because Communist Party cannot be supplanted by other systems. would capitalism work in China? peasant rebelliions were lead by other classes and Hu is not a fool and he holds a good prestige in China.

Nick, wuhan, china

They don't need democracy here. They need education first otherwise the peasant class would just vote in another appealing despot and be back to square one again.

J.Feasey, Zhengzhou, China

As much as the party-members in charge of the university I work in have told me that 'Chinese people are not ready to talk about politics' I have found the opposite to be true. More confortable speaking in English than Chinese about their discontent, the majority hold their government to be 'wrong'

Rebecca Taylor, Nanjing, China

Whilst a democratic China is a laudable ideal, can such a large number of peole be governed democratically ? If it can, the resulting Democratic capitalism will only maintain or increase the huge wealth divide and things won't be much better for anyone apart from the small number of dissidents.

Mark, Hull, UK

I believe other Asian states will have similar concerns. Jobs are being lost in Vietnam and Tet bonuses are being withdrawn/reduced. The population still appears optimistic but this could change as the country starts to feel the full effects of the ripples caused by the crisis that started in the US

RV (expat), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I have lived in China for more than 5 years and I have met very few people in that time who want democracy, change or who disagree with the policies of the government. The vast majority of people i have met have been brainwashed their whole lives and blindly follow what they are told to think and do

Lee, Shanghai,

it seems so .
but allways it is very ridiculou.
how do such fool so many years?
.....

daisy Lee, shanghai, china

Of all the mistakes the West has made since the end of World War II, our failure to back the Kuomitang in the Chinese Civil War was one of the worst. Think how different (better) the world could look with a democratic China as a partner. Let us hope the Chinese are on the verge of toppling the CCP.

JD, Birmingham, UK

"From what I hear from people of all backgrounds from inside China they believe, ..., that time is up for the regime - they believe that in 2009 or 2010 the Chinese will reach the limit of their toleration for the Communist Party."
Interesting comment. It reminds me a lot of the Bush worldview.

Mike, Hong Kong,

Jim, I'm not sure what your Malthusian argument has to do with millions of Chinese being sick of corruption.

While wanting an increased level of freedom and wanting a McMansion, two cars and overseas holidays are not mutually exclusive, there is a difference which you seemed to have missed.

Julian, Perth, Australia

I agree with Jim. The population of the world when I was born was not much more than the population of China now. The various consequences of vast overpopulation, especially in that region, are beginning to be felt.

James, Melbourne, Australia

Centralisation is China's great difficulty. But that comes with the CCP and been the Chinese imperial way for centuries. Fragmentation is the way forward. Independent election of seperate government for each province. To a Chinese that must sound terrifying but is quite normal in other countries.

Colin, Carmarthen, United Kingdom

A very good article

Luke, China,

I would definitely suggest taking this analysis with a pinch of salt: in six months living in relatively poor rural China I have not seen or heard of any protests against the regime in this area. The idea that the "Communist" party is about to be overthrown is probably fanciful.

Jeremy, Gongyi City, China

An excellent article.

Mickey, Shanghai,

Superb article - perfectly encapsulates the situation here.

MarkChina, Beijing,

The planet earth does not hold enough natural resources to produce the goods needed to raise all the chinese peoples lifestyle and incomes to western levels. The cure to the chinese problem and also that of many countries including America and Britain is to reduce population levels rapidly.

Jim Wills, Brisbane, Australia