China copying worst aspects of Western society Orville Schell has missed some crucial issues in his assessment of the respective developments of China and 'the West' ('The short march', September 25). I cannot find fault with his perception of the US, where a 'democratic' system is strangling the country. The potential for much-needed reform is being undermined because of ignorance, provincialism and neo-conservatism. However, arguing that China is winning the economic race is a bit like heaping praise on the Hindenburg for outperforming the Titanic. I see little essential difference between the way that certain dominant Western nations have developed recently, and the way China is headed. Both civilisations are suffering from the same potentially catastrophic delusion that endless growth, hyper-capitalism and a get-rich-quick mentality are sustainable. Mr Schell writes: 'China is humming with energy, money, plans, leadership and forward motion.' It may appear that way, but scratch the surface and there are huge problems brewing. It is difficult to envisage how they can be solved without a complete restructuring of society and particularly its core values. The most obvious distinction is that there is not one China, but two. There is the rich China of those connected to the ruling elite and there is the poor 80 per cent or so of China that is being crushed under the weight of an endless cycle of exploitation and oppression. Maybe Mr Schell hasn't noticed, but there have been two major riots in China in the last 12 months, and there are thousands of smaller protests and disturbances every year. These are not the result of 'hostile, anti-Chinese forces from abroad', or the lies created by a 'biased' Western media, which is the story China's leaders would prefer their people to believe. They are the result of social and economic exclusion. China's development remains at a precarious point, something that infatuation with gross domestic product figures and the glittering skyscrapers in Shanghai and Beijing might hide. Nobody can deny the rapid economic development of China in the last several decades. But my impression after a decade in this region is that it is copying the very worst aspects of Western society - rampant materialism and growth at all costs - while suppressing the best - human rights, rule of law, freedom of expression, and (perhaps) democracy. Marcus Anthony, Tseung Kwan O Mao declared birth of republic The report ('The famous Mao Zedong slogan, that he never even used', September 25) may be right. But so what if he did not say these actual words? This story was told in a textbook in my primary school in 1974. It said: 'Chairman Mao declared that the Chinese people had stood up.' Technically I see nothing wrong with the statement, as whatever Mao Zedong said on October 1, 1949, on Tiananmen Square, he effectively declared the coming of age of the people's republic. This is PRC history 101. Li Qiang, Shanghai Pledges plea on toxic bonds Addressing students at Munsang College, our enlightened Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen stressed that the recovery from the financial crisis would be given priority over constitutional reforms in his policy address. I am sure most pragmatic people in Hong Kong agree with him on this point, but a question remains about how he is going to resolve the matter of the Lehman minibonds and other credit-linked derivatives now threatening the safety and harmony of Hong Kong. His most important task should be to arrange for the Securities and Futures Commission and the Monetary Authority to negotiate a reasonable and complete settlement with local banks for Lehman bond victims. The absence of a sound democratic system through universal suffrage has been a stumbling block with regard to this issue. Greater China's policy of issuing Chinese government bonds in yuan for sale in Hong Kong, though welcomed by the SAR government and businesses, is no remedy for the financial problem here, unless - and until - the products mis-sold in Hong Kong have been fully redeemed and compensated. Besides, more guarantees should be offered by means of concrete collateral to buyers of Chinese bonds to avoid turning them into another type of Lehman bond. Banks that have so far failed to meet their obligations on Lehman and other US toxic bonds should be disqualified from selling other bonds including those issued by China. Peter Wei, Kwun Tong Express rail link is not needed I am a regular and frustrated user of the Kowloon to Guangzhou train. It is inexplicably slow. It rolls through Hong Kong between walking pace and about 80km/h and usually takes two hours, not the scheduled 90 minutes. However, the planned HK$60 billion '48-minute' service to Guangzhou is no use to me. I want to go to the central business district in Tianhe, not Guangzhou's equivalent of Yuen Long, from where I would have to take a Guangzhou MTR for another 48 minutes to get to Tianhe. Why don't we spend about HK$5 billion upgrading the present line to run China Railway high-speed (CRH) trains and do something more useful with the HK$55 billion thus saved? Or, if that is not technically possible, how about running the existing trains at their maximum potential speed? Could there be a lack of political enthusiasm for the existing line? The quality of the Chinese trains (bone-shakers with toilets emptying onto the track) demonstrates Guangzhou's enthusiasm for the line and the through trains, though very shiny, don't actually go very fast. Would the Hong Kong government care to explain why we need a new line to Guangzhou when we do not make the best use of the one we already have? Jason Brockwell, Central Schools need green policies Education is a crucial factor in saving the environment. However, not all our schools have adopted green policies. They should be teaching students about the importance of protecting the environment. However, schools produce too many documents, such as receipts and worksheets. Waste paper is thrown into refuse bins, rather than recycling bins. There is a great deal of unnecessary waste in our schools every day and this must change. All schools should set good examples of environmental protection. Lee Yuk-yu, Kwai Chung Simple ways to cut car numbers I think there are easy ways to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road. We should increase taxes on petrol and increase tunnel fees for private cars, especially at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. Also the cost of getting and renewing a driving licence should be raised, as should the cost of vehicle registration. We also need higher taxes imposed on car purchases and imports. I think such policies would be easy to implement and would only affect the drivers of private vehicles. William Yip, Sham Shui Po
