Eyes On.... CHINA in the Global Economy
Student Text Page No. 3: "In the Spotlight"

Morning in Beijing... The three friends pause at the school gate. One begins reciting a math formula, then stops to ask: Is that right? The others nod. I hope I remember it later, he sighs.... The path behind them fills quickly. No one wants to be barred from the gaokao because of lateness. Finally, the guard opens the gate.

In June 2009, about 10 million teenagers took the gaokao, China's National College Entrance Examination. Its questions covered math, Chinese, and each student's elective studies — physics, perhaps, and a foreign language. Those 10 million students were competing for about 6 million admission slots in China's universities and colleges. And that's what makes the gaokao such a high-stress event. The test is the only path to higher education in China.

Parents' dreams. Some parents spend thousands of dollars for tutors and extra classes to help their children prepare for the gaokao — and thus for a "better future." Over time, of course, the image of that future has changed. Many still recall when "making progress" meant bringing electricity to a village. But in the 1980s, other possibilities began to emerge. New factory jobs provided a better income than laboring on a farm. And then, as China's economy expanded, opportunities widened in other fields — in science, finance, and law, for example. Now, members of China's urban middle class can afford to travel abroad and discover the world in which their country plays such a vital role.... During the 2008 financial crisis, they also learned how easily events in other places can affect China.

Stimulus plan. When the world slid into recession in 2008, there was a huge cut-back in global credit. Without loans, many businesses in other nations could no longer buy China's steel, chemicals, shoes, and other exports. As China's trade slumped, its factories closed, and about 20 million workers lost jobs. Was the dream of a better future about to disappear? Unthinkable. The People's Republic of China (PRC) developed a huge stimulus plan, earmarking $585 billion for projects that would create jobs and expand the nation's consumer market. Money was allocated for low-cost housing, improved health-care, and railroad construction. Farmers with small plots of land were also allowed to sublet their land rights and thus increase their income. (For PRC leaders, that last goal had special urgency: Millions of China's farmers still live in poverty.)

New energy? Within months, China's economy was growing again. However — along with other industrial nations — the PRC still faced a dilemma: To remain a thriving economy, it must keep producing goods on a big scale. But, to provide energy for that effort, it must (for now) continue using coal and oil — fuels that are linked to pollution and climate change. Global environmental experts agree that China works hard to cope with this challenge. Indeed, on July 3, 2009, Keith Bradsher reported in The New York Times that "the rise of renewable energy, especially wind power, is helping to slow China's steep growth in emissions of global warming gases." Yet China, which is also investing in nuclear power, would be the first to acknowledge that "slowing" the growth of pollution is not enough. More needs to be done.

Re-Focus! In July 2009, China and the USA (which faces a similar dilemma) created a new, bilateral "Clean Energy Research Center" to address that need. Now, Chinese and U.S. researchers can collaborate on such goals as energy efficiency and clean vehicles. And maybe.... Their work might even help to resolve the question of how best to deal with climate change. Good luck to them! The generation taking the gaokao (and the SAT) today will inherit the outcome of their efforts tomorrow.... As an old Chinese saying reminds us: Blossom in spring will bring fruit in autumn.