China's Wealthy wish to leave?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Top-of-Chinese-wealthys-wish-apf-3316521730.html?x=0&.v=5

Part I
The above links to an article that is is both timely and telling. Many in the West sometimes react to the news of China's economic ascendancy with the attitude that the U.S. is in a state of permanent decline. They believe that China is "cleaning our clock" and China will dominate the twenty-first century economically and politically because of its growing economic might.

All of the above may or may not be true. However, this article and a recent trip to China suggest that the old adage, "All that glitters is not gold" may apply to the current situation. I had the opportunity to meet several Chinese people, primarily attorneys. My friends(a sample much smaller than the linked article) echoed the sentiment of the article. Wealthy people want to leave, and they want to come to the United States. One person I met, a lawyer, we'll call her Ms. Lu, expressed concern with upcoming changes in the country's leadership (the President and Premier are term limited) and uncertainty about which direction the government's strategy for economic development will take. She also expressed concern about the growing gap between rich and poor and the effect that will have on the stability of the country.


Ms. Lu's concerns with changes in the government and instability are not surprising. I had the opportunity to live in China during the 1999-2000 academic year. i taught Writing, Western Civilization, U.S. and British Literature to undergraduate and graduate students at Yunnan University, in Kunming. My students expressed similar sentiments. Eleven years later there is a new concern, however. It is inflation. The cost of living in eastern cities like Beijing and Shanghai has skyrocketed. Rent and the cost of food make it difficult for everyone but the wealthiest to afford to live in these areas.

None of this is to suggest that the United States is or is not in decline or that it is better or than or worse than China, in some regard. The truth is that the two societies are involved in a complex and nuanced relationship that deserves more attention than we often are willing to pay.

What other issues color U.S. China relations? I will further address that question and others in part II of this Post.