Chinese Academics: We Need Real Social (and Political) Reforms

A group of professors and experts, members of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, ask the executive to think about new and more incisive reforms: "We need transparency, freedom of speech and worship.  This will reduce the tensions that also affect international markets ".

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Economic but also political reforms, opening to the Western-style democratic system, ending censorship and true freedom of speech and religion.  These are the requests made by a group of experts and academics who - in different areas - have entered the public debate in China in the coming decisions on economic and social matters.  Although everyone agrees to praise President Xi Jinping for what he has done so far, experts are calling for a "gear shift" to convince international markets and close trade wars with the United States.

According to several analysts, Washington now believes that Beijing is a "strategic competitor" capable of manipulating markets and international governance through the introduction of new standards, new values ​​and new points of view.  “The ultimate solution to address the US’ unilateralism is by reforms and opening up,” said Cai Fang, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the country’s top think tank. According to Cai, pushing ahead with reform is crucial when the US-initiated tariff war is prodding investors to relocate their supply chain away from China.

Beijing University international relations professor Wang Yizhou went even further, saying China should improve its political system and apply openness and transparency in a number of areas before it could ease hostility and wield greater international influence.
"China has made remarkable achievements economically. But it has room to improve in political development, social harmony and many other areas,” he told a forum at Renmin University in Beijing last month. “China’s destiny will ultimately be decided more by such internal policies: whether it will create a society of benevolence.”