A couple months ago, I discovered M. Dujon Johnson's blog, Black American Lawyer in China.  I was fascinated with the perspective of this lawyer and sinologist.  Many of the journalists who are writing about China, even seasoned journalists, write like tourists.  M. Dujon, on the other hand, writes with understanding.  He's there, he's been there several years, he's speaks the language and he's a scholar immersed in what he's writing about.   I've added his blog to my blogroll, please go to the source. 

I've copied one of his entries in entirety below.  It's not my writing, it's his and he's good. 

A rising military power, a robust and strong economy, a crucial player within international affairs in Africa and Far East Asia, a vital trading and investment partner to over 2/3 rds of the world's economy, and one of the largest weapons supplier in the world. These are but some of the reasons that many believe China has positioned itself, in the very near future, as a rising superpower. It also doesn't help that the United States is seen by some as a nation in decline. But the question remains, is China on the verge of ruling the world?

There are several things (and I could easily mention a half dozen) that would prevent Mainland China from dominating the world; I will begin with the question of culture.

During the middle 1500's, there was an internal struggle in China's imperial palace on how to interact and deal with the outside barbarian world. That is, should China strengthen and improve itself by contacts with the outside world or should China isolate itself and protect itself from foreign cultural contaminants. China, as we all know, chose the latter...and it was a decision that it still has not yet fully recovered from.

When I use the term 'culture' I am referring to a reference point, a shared history, norms, behavior patters and values. Culture also means the socialization of a people, a programming of the mind so to speak. We all have it to one degree or another. What I find interesting about Chinese culture is that the term 'culture' is also a license to disassociate or excuse one from accountability.

One of the things about culture in Chinese society is that it says "you can't tell me I'm wrong although we both know that I am wrong. If you do then I will lose face (diu lian)." This conscious failure to hold oneself accountable for his or her acts does not exactly put Chinese society in the driver's seat for world domination. Culture prevented the Ming dynasty from making the tough choices it had to make as a leading nation of that period; it appears tht the China of this era has not learned her history well and is repeating the mistake being a culture centric nation at the expense of all else.

If the economy is bad, it's because of the Americans. If our environment is devastating our country and killing Chinese people, it's because Americans modernized too (although the government doesn't mention we're talking almost 150 years ago). If people are asking for democratic change, it's because of foreign outside influences that justify us keeping a closed society.

China in many ways reminds me of a small child, never admitting her responsibility and blaming it on someone else, or never mature enough as a nation to get beyond it's perpetual adolescence mentality of what happened in its ancient history. China continually says as a culture, no matter what we do...it's never our fault!

Leadership in the world community at the political, economic and military levels require, foremost, accountability. In the simplist terms, accountablity is the assumption and responsibility for one's actions, decisions and policies. The world is looking for leadership but I don't believe that anyone in their right mind can see China and its culture of 'do as I say and not as I do,' as fitting the bill.