Letters to the Editor, July 27, 2013

China has made incredible advances in recent years, in economics, technology and militarily.

This is what I would call hard power, but what about soft power, what about listening to and meeting the needs of the Chinese people?

In the past, any demonstrations and opposition to the government were suppressed. People were told that the priority was the development of the country.

In the past few weeks, we have seen protests in Guangdong against a uranium processing plant and an incinerator. People were angry that they had not been consulted. Thousands of citizens were involved and I feel what happened was a significant breakthrough for mainland people. It seemed that, for the first time, they were having an impact on the authorities' decision-making.

I am sure many were afraid that they might be punished, but they still went ahead with their actions.

A wise government listens to the voices of its people. If their views are ignored, they will lose confidence in their government and this can lead to growing calls for more democracy.