What I Have Learned from My Students in Shanghai (pt. 2)

What I Have Learned from My Students in Shanghai (pt. 2)

4 days of class are done now. Today’s class was on Europe. The students began the class expressing no interest much in doing business there. Going around the room each student was asked to choose a preferential country from Europe as a business target. This seemed to change things. One student is from France and he had to choose a country other than France. Despite the historical relationship only one student chose Russia.

The students did not realize before the class that The European Union is China’s largest trading partner. As we went through the Eastern European countries, similarities of situation were noticed. China and Viet Nam are the only countries that have retained communism and embraced capitalism at the same time. I think the real differences may be more semantic than political. What the west wants to export to the communist world is better defined as democracy than just capitalism. What the communist call communism is so totally different from what Karl Marx envisioned that all it really means is rule by one party. “The Party” itself seems more like a big lodge than a party.

The government people I have met here seem to be, for the most part, sincerely committed to having a society where everyone prospers. What I have seen of democracy in the last 8 years are systems where everyone pursues their own self interest. I can’t help that think that if we wish to “sell” democracy to the rest of the world, perhaps we should work on our “product quality” a little.



David Segrest is a REALTOR in Charlotte NC. His website is http://www.segrestrealty.com His email is david@segrestrealty.com