From Prof Khairy Tourk.
Sir, I wholeheartedly agree with Daniel Bell and Eric Li’s assertion that China’s system of government is embedded in the country’s culture and history (“In defence of the Chinese way of picking leaders”, November 12). The system has produced adept leadership that has been able consistently to deliver high rates of economic growth. The leaders’ strength lies in having experiential knowledge. Candidates for the nine spots at the apex of Chinese power have to go through many challenging appointments, many having assumed governorship of two provinces, each the size of some European countries.
Despite its achievements, the leadership has not received the attention it deserves in the west, which tends to criticise China for its lack of democracy and rampant corruption. Part of the misunderstanding is due to the fact that the ethical foundations underpinning the Chinese and western societies have developed along different paths. In Europe, to quote Rob Gifford in China Road, “The existence of the Christian church . . . often outside the power of the kings, was crucial in the development of checks and balances on . . . royal power. It also created educated men who were not sworn in loyalty to the monarch.” In contrast, practically all of the educated men in imperial China who had passed the civil exam were employed by the state. This weakened somewhat the Buddhist influence.