4.
performance has been excellent - her growth rate is far above our own. The injection of
incentives and the end of the era of the dunce - otherwise known as the cultural
revolution - have given new energy and purpose to the Chinese economy, and China might
well shorten the gap between her standard of living and ours.
Thirdly, we employ double vision in looking at Russia and China. At present we
close our eyes to the suppression of civil liberties and to the iron hand of authority
whereas we denounce similar events within the Soviet Union. The day will come when
many Australians that minority intensely interested in civil liberties and freedom of
ideas - will be outspoken about events which they at present ignore in China. It is likely
that the tolerance we now show towards suppression in China comes not only from the
realization that she is, in one sense, a relatively new nation, a nation reborn. More
important, it comes from the hope that before long there will be an increase in civil
liberties and in the right to express unorthodox views. I doubt whether, in the near
future, freedom of expression will be tolerated in China. If such freedom does come, it
will be more in the economic sphere, in business enterprise, than in the cultural sphere.
In the new China of the year 2000 a Rod Carnegie a Chinese Rod Carnegie - is more
likely to be tolerated than a Chinese Patrick White. If China continues to be a tightly-
ordered society, a regimented society, then many influential Australians are likely to
withdraw some of their sympathy.
f
A fourth potential for a disturbed relationship is Hong Kong. If the prosperity of
colony Hong Kong ebbs before or after China re-occupies the/China's reputation will suffer.
Hong Kong is one of the great economic successes of the modern world, a dynamo of a
place, a triumph of the human spirit. If that dynamo runs down, and if civil liberties as
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