Looking at China: Emerging Corporate Compulsions

China ‘watching,’ China ‘worship,’ and China ‘bashing,’ are the favourite agenda of our politicians, bureaucrats, thinkers, and industry captains. This is because of the re-emergence of China in the global canvas after many years of being encircled in the ‘Great Wall.‘ India has special reasons to look at China seriously not just because it is emerging as a competitor, but because of its size, population, and demography, it appears to be the only country with which India could ‘benchmark.’ The economic indicators of China are baffling not only because they are outstanding but also because China is the only country in the world which has shown consistency in the last decade or so. The size of its GDP, its growth and dispersion, massive impact in the global trade, and the admirable manner in which it has contained its inflation merits acknowledgement and admiration. Such consistent results are possible due to well-thought out and carefully orchestrated strategies. The Chinese economy was planned by looking at the world as the market. China has clear priorities and focus (both in terms of geography as well as sectors when it comes to allocating resources). It is interesting to note the consistency with which China is unleashing the ‘enterprise’ in the ‘private domain.’ This brings us to the role of the government. In China, it is the solemn responsibility of the state to provide outstanding and comprehensive infrastructure to the nation�a job it is doing with amazing speed and efficiency. The government is everywhere but it shows ‘integrity’ and what is more important ‘flexibility.’ This makes them most friendly to foreign investments and investors who are racing to be there. There are some popular myths that we attribute to China. We like to label China as having capabilities at the low-end of intellectual spread, we suspect the quality of its goods, and above all we associate inefficiency with a Communist regime. They are at best wishful thinking by those who struggle to compete. China, however, has its concerns, for instance, the contrast between the east and the west part of the country and rural-urban divide (conscious results of the planned growth). This is dangerous in a country where revolutions are not uncommon. Despite the concerns, China has done very well as far as its society and its economy is concerned. While we in India cannot replicate these models and policies, we can certainly take inspiration from the Chinese and evolve our own clear agenda which can be spelt as follows: focus on infrastructure think �big� and plan �globally� prioritize key sectors/issues of development create a niche for ourselves by leveraging on our strengths.