On air: Is China on a 'fool's errand' in trying to 'stop history'?
| 14:20 UK time, Wednesday, 11 May 2011
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 11 May 2011. Listen to the programme.
There's been a huge pick-up on what Hillary Clinton about China and its efforts to stop democratisation. With reference to the Arab Spring, she's told Jeffrey Goldberg, "They're worried, and they are trying to stop history, which is a fool's errand. They cannot do it. But they're going to hold it off as long as possible." .
Do you agree with the Secretary of State? Or has she failed to understand the importance of economic growth and stability to many Chinese? explains why some Chinese do want democracy but only a very different pace to what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. Is it naïve to believe that rapid change will come and is even desired in many parts of China?
You won't be surprised that the Chinese government is not impressed with what's been said. Vice-Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai has said that China is making progress on human rights and is at a different stage of its development to America. Is that a reasonable point?
