Sunday, May 08, 2005
It's the Economy, Really
This week's issue of the U.S. Edition of Newsweek features a special report called 'China's century'. If you can get a copy good for you. It is one great reading. Why? Because a lot of what China does and did with its economy is worth watching. And I am sure we would not mind duplicating even a 'teeny' fraction of its economic growth. It's economy has grown an average 9 percent a year for the last 25 years. In the last 25 years 'It has moved 300 million people from poverty and quadrupled the average Chinese person's income'! Three hundred million is more than three times the size of our population in the Philippines! If the same economic miracle in China happened in the Philippines, we would all be living in prosperity now.
China now produces more coal, steel and cement than any country. Ranks second to the U.S. as user of energy, third in the world as largest oil importer. China now holds the second spot of having the largest foreign reserves in dollars. And a ton more. China in a few short words has become very very rich in a comparatively short time.
What did the Chinese do to accomplish this 'epic' growth? It started around 1978 when the then party boss Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech telling his countrymen to focus on modernization. In short they OPENED THEIR ECONOMY TO FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND TRADE.
Opening ones economy to foreign trade and investment sounds very simple and easy. It does take excellent planning and execution. Reforms that were MARKET-FRIENDLY were created. Singapore got rid of most of its PROTECTIONISTS policies. China did a lot of the same. Japan in comparison has kept a lot of protectionists policies and did not open its market to foreign investment.
I repeat, China opened its economy to FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT. Now, if it takes us the next five to seven years to OPEN Catanduanes to foreign trade and investment, add ten more years to that and at that time we would be at an economic level of achievement that would be many many notches higher than if we did not do it at all.
We need our own Customs Department to handle imports and exports. We need to convert our local seaports and airport into international ones. Small shipments at first will become bigger as we grow our trade income. Then we will have damn good reasons to build bigger facilities! I heard that our great Congressman is pushing tourism. Then we will do much better if we had our own Immigrations Department so tourists from Asia and beyond can get in and out of the island without going through the mess in Manila. I dare everyone to make this a reality now. This will bring a lot of income. Straight flights to and from Asia.... not an impossibility. I would say it is easily doable as we speak.
In five to seven years we hope to have our electrical Interconnection from the mainland. At the same time, the circumferential road would have been completed...maybe. But let us think big . And act big. Let us work together. You will be surprised at how we will excel if we dare to act on these dreams. I say, these things are doable soon ... if not.. now .. for some of them. At any rate let us move forward!! NOW!
Got to cut this short so our readers do not get sleepy. Want your ideas , opinions published in this blog? Send them to me at blackhawk7499@gmail.com. Thanks!
Joe Joson
China now produces more coal, steel and cement than any country. Ranks second to the U.S. as user of energy, third in the world as largest oil importer. China now holds the second spot of having the largest foreign reserves in dollars. And a ton more. China in a few short words has become very very rich in a comparatively short time.
What did the Chinese do to accomplish this 'epic' growth? It started around 1978 when the then party boss Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech telling his countrymen to focus on modernization. In short they OPENED THEIR ECONOMY TO FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND TRADE.
Opening ones economy to foreign trade and investment sounds very simple and easy. It does take excellent planning and execution. Reforms that were MARKET-FRIENDLY were created. Singapore got rid of most of its PROTECTIONISTS policies. China did a lot of the same. Japan in comparison has kept a lot of protectionists policies and did not open its market to foreign investment.
I repeat, China opened its economy to FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT. Now, if it takes us the next five to seven years to OPEN Catanduanes to foreign trade and investment, add ten more years to that and at that time we would be at an economic level of achievement that would be many many notches higher than if we did not do it at all.
We need our own Customs Department to handle imports and exports. We need to convert our local seaports and airport into international ones. Small shipments at first will become bigger as we grow our trade income. Then we will have damn good reasons to build bigger facilities! I heard that our great Congressman is pushing tourism. Then we will do much better if we had our own Immigrations Department so tourists from Asia and beyond can get in and out of the island without going through the mess in Manila. I dare everyone to make this a reality now. This will bring a lot of income. Straight flights to and from Asia.... not an impossibility. I would say it is easily doable as we speak.
In five to seven years we hope to have our electrical Interconnection from the mainland. At the same time, the circumferential road would have been completed...maybe. But let us think big . And act big. Let us work together. You will be surprised at how we will excel if we dare to act on these dreams. I say, these things are doable soon ... if not.. now .. for some of them. At any rate let us move forward!! NOW!
Got to cut this short so our readers do not get sleepy. Want your ideas , opinions published in this blog? Send them to me at blackhawk7499@gmail.com. Thanks!
Joe Joson
