China’s Rise

Any serious essay on China should point out both the negative and positive aspects of the country’s rise over the past few decades. In “The Chinese Challenge,” however, David P. Goldman glosses over the minuses and gleefully articulates the pluses of China’s rapid development (Spring 2020).

To be sure, the Chinese Communist Party has made large strides in economic, military, and technical spheres over the last few decades. Nevertheless, these advances and an export-driven economy have come at a stiff price for China’s people and its neighbors in terms of liberty and the rule of law. While an array of products are churned out of factories, labor practices, quality control, and safety standards remain shoddy.

In the area of education, China has roughly the same number of colleges as does the United States, yet it has more than four times the population. Competition for “good” high schools and colleges is intense, and very few students make it into these schools. Perhaps that is why so many Chinese go abroad to attend school.

Bicycles and small scooters are still omnipresent in China, and many of the trains and vehicles are dated. The middle class is growing and most people have phones, but poverty and staggering