Dear forum friends,
Just now the Saturday Globe & Mail, (Canada's leading newspaper,) arrived at my door. All week they had been telling us to watch for a special edition about China. It was us who could not read the front page this morning! It was covered, from top to bottom, with five Big Bold Lines of Chinese Characters. For the rest of us, who can not yuet read Chinese, the translation was in smaller English letters, underneath.
I wish you could all see this, for us, most unusual display of our weekend newspaper. I've never seen anything like it! As long as I've been in Canada I've never seen anything like it. This has never happened before!
The top banner headline states: "Ambitious, powerful, raestless. Get ready for the Chinese Century!" The other four big lines say: "If you can't read these words, better start brushing up. A profound global shift has begun, the kind that occurs once every few lifetimes. Do not be left behind."
The whole front section of the paper is full of articles about China. Ten journalists worked on this extraordinary report. Some were on year round assignment to China. You may have had an idea of these tremendous changes occurring in your country, but sometimes, the whole picture can be better observed from a distance.
There are articles about the ten things China does much better than we do. Articles about China's investment in Canada's resource industry. Stories about Wenzhou and Shanghai, showing that China has already become the manufacturer to the world. The paper has objective reports about where improvements are called for. These are in raising low wages, and making working conditions better. It talks about China's great army. It also mentions the rural poor, who appear to be becoming marginalized by the evolving capitalism.
All in all, I now will need to use the whole weekend to study all of this. Yet I already know many of these things from reading this forum.
Juast last week, a visiting Chinese dignitary explained the relationship of China to Canada. I will tell you what I think he said on the occasion of the investment, by China Minerals Company in the largest Canadian mining company. He basically said: this is only the beginning. China needs vast resources in the coming years, and we want to deal with Canad to secure them. He said: "The sweat of Chinese labourers built your railroads, and the blood of Dr. Norman Bethune runs in our veins."
I am very glad that I live in Canada. And I am very thankful that I can be part of this forum, in this exciting time. I offer a toast to the friendship between China and Canada.
With my most sincere best wishes to all of you,
Uncle Ben
