Michigan, stop whining about China
After decades of not being on the field of play, the Chinese are suited up and moving the economic ball down the field. Clearly, they have the world's most dynamic economy with double digit annual economic increases over the last decade.
Take any economic statistic you like and you can see the Chinese are a team on a roll.
Like a football dynasty that believes they have a "right" to be on top, some of Michigan's
"coaches" are complaining that a new team is on the rise. The whining from Michigan leaders reminds me of a football team that has done a poor job recruiting, has too many players on injured reserves, has lousy draft picks, outdated equipment and a poorly thought out game plan and wonders why they are falling behind.
Michigan is in a rebuilding phase and needs to focus on its game plan and stop complaining about the other team. Guess what, sometimes the other team are more agile, nimble, faster, and surprise, sometimes they cheat and get away with it for a game or for a few years. As my coach would say: "Get over it!"
Some Standard Complaints Against the "Red" Team Are:
Currency manipulation
Intellectual piracy
Unfair labor practices
Labor exploitation
Unfair tariffs on our goods
Do these issues need to be addressed? Of course, but until they are, we need to compete to win.
OK, lodge complaints about the "cheating" with the referees (World Trade Organization) and our League (Congress and the President). Now, as my coach would say, " we need to suit up, buck up, shut up and compete!" Complaining has never won a single game.
Again, to quote a great teacher and philosopher, my football coach: "Complaining is for losers." Coach would point out that our team never complained when the "Red" team could not even put a team on the field (remember the good old days when communist China had a closed economy and we had the field to ourselves?) and in the early days when we used to roll over them like the "pros" we are - playing a bunch of middle school kids.
And guess what, the Red Team have some excellent products in their farm system, on the way up, that are going to make the next few seasons even tougher. Remember, there are no Chinese cars currently in the US auto market. However with over 120 auto manufacturers in China practicing and readying themselves for their America debut, more competition is on the way; it is just a matter of time. Be very clear, China's goal is to have high end Chinese brands that will rival any brand in the world.
While we were growing fat and sassy as the "Emperor on the Hill," China has been studying, practicing, learning and developing a game plan that could knock the economic crown right off our noggins.
China is now the fastest growing large economy in the world, and "is on course to surpass the US as the world's largest economy within two decades," says Oded Shenkar, author of Chinese Century: The Rising Chinese Economy and Its Impact on the Global Economy, the Balance of Power, and Your Job.
As we are witnessing, no team stays at the top of their game forever. China's outstanding economic performance over the past quarter century is no guarantee of continued success.
According to a September 2006 report written by Albert Keidel, Sr., Associate with the Carniegie Endowment for International Peace, "Large scale public disturbances in China have been on the rise for more than a decade." Keidel's research indicates a troubling trend in China, showing over 84,000 "mass disturbances" in 2005, up from slightly less than 9,000 in 1993.
In towns which most Americans have never heard of, like Shanwei and Dongzhu,
there are widespread social demonstrations and protests that are increasingly turning violent. The Chinese have profound challenges as they manage the world's largest human migration from the countryside to the city, attempt to provide jobs to those in State enterprises who were promised an "iron rice bowl," address local corruption, labor grievances and land confiscation while opening their society to knowledge and commerce. Simultaneously, Chinese leaders are trying to keep the concepts of democracy and freedom out.
In Tiananmen Square in 1989, a Chinese friend told me of an old Chinese saying: "When you open the window, all the flies can come in!"
China is clearly relying on its economic growth as a means to placate the masses.
The greatest fear the Chinese leaders have is losing control. And while the Mao revolution began in the cities, it was won in the countryside. Maintaining control while opening up the society will be a delicate balance for Chinese leadership.
So, while China is the team to beat today, they can stumble and fumble along the way. It should be our goal in Michigan to learn to play with the Chinese in a way that will benefit our team as well. Simply complaining about the competition, fair or not, will not win the game for the home team.
Tom Watkins is a business and education consultant. He served as state superintendent of schools from 2001-05 and as president and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Fla., 1996-2001. He has a long standing interest in China and has traveled their many times. He can be reached at tdwatkins@aol.com. |
