A long-time China watcher argues that worldwide shock over tainted Chinese food exports is symptomatic of outsiders’ willful naivete in the face of Chinese growth:
Why does this surprise us? After all, “capitalism with Chinese characteristics” has been a chaotic free-for-all for some time. Roughly 75% of China’s food is now produced by small, private, and un-licensed operations that are difficult to regulate.
With little knowledge of China’s tectonic changes, foreigners have been investing, buying, trading, and extravagantly praising its amazing, but hell-bent, “economic boom.” Fear of “China bashing” has made it difficult for so-called “friends of China” to discuss its darker side openly. [Full Text]
