'..The absence of constitutional mechanisms and Chinese culture's mistrust of a free competition of ideas is harmful in the long term, says Lee .. a confrontation with the United States can only be prevented if Beijing interacts intensively with the West in all areas.'<blockquote>'A visit with Lee Kuan Yew, the former prime minister of Singapore and a globally respected elder statesman of Chinese descent, provides another perspective. Even the political leadership in Beijing reveres this man who, in his 45 years as premier and senior minister, transformed the former British colony into a flourishing city-state -- and one with a largely authoritarian government. "I will cultivate an intelligent, constructive opposition," he said in 1986 during our first interview.
Lee, 90, a friend of former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, has long seen a shift in global policy in the direction of Asia. "The 21st century will be an age of competition between China and the United States. I cannot predict how long the Americans can remain ahead. China is relentlessly on its way to number one," he says. Lee sees most of the excessive human rights violations in India, not in the land of his ancestors. "However, the idea of human rights is only gradually beginning to take hold in China. The notion that the state is the supreme authority, and that it cannot be questioned, still dominates their way of thinking," he adds.
Singapore's leader was long a devotee of Confucian values, and he is pleased that the great philosopher enjoys considerable respect in the People's Republic once again, after being banned for many years. But Lee doesn't just see Confucian teachings as promoting authority. Instead, he believes that Confucius emphasized education and the government's responsibility to the people. The absence of constitutional mechanisms and Chinese culture's mistrust of a free competition of ideas is harmful in the long term, says Lee. These are astonishing words for a thinker who spent a significant portion of his life flirting with the superiority of Asian values.
Necessary CompetitionLee believes that the new Chinese leadership has recognized, under the "impressive" Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, that the system must become more open. But Lee does not feel that this will automatically lead to a Western-style multi-party system. According to Lee, a confrontation with the United States can only be prevented if Beijing interacts intensively with the West in all areas.'
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Emerging Challenges: What's In Store for the New Global Powers, Part 2, October 16, 2013</blockquote>
Context '..inspire peace.'<blockquote>
(Praxeology) - Power: The Political Dimension of Human Action - '..the full power of global knowledge can be harnessed..'(MIX) - To stay healthy - To heal - 'The International Journal of Haptonomy and Haptotherapy..'(MIX) - Can you lead without authority? - '..the need to “lead without authority.” ' - Rethinking the Work of Leadership(Individual Learning) - Future of Education is At Hand: Online, Accredited, Affordable, Useful - How To Save $244,000 On Your EducationIn The Electric Universe a Future of Peace and Love(Earth Defence - Earth Shield) - USS Zumwalt - '..more in common with the fictional starship USS Enterprise's bridge..'(Open Source) - To Heal '..biotechnology and life sciences, the use of OpenBEL..'(Banking Reform) - 'Ten Real Problems, Fractional Reserve Lending..'Dysfunctional Global Economy; Can Things Get Worse? Rediscovering the Price of Money, October 21, 2013</blockquote>