April 20, 2007

SINGAPORE

Visiting the Chinese Consulate and My Afterthoughts

This morning I went to the Chinese consulate in Singapore to apply for my Chinese visa. It would have been a walk in the park if the waiting line didn't snake through the main lobby, the foyer, and all the way back to the women's bathroom at the far end of the building.

Even I tend to forget just how many Chinese there are in the world.

At roughly 20% of the global population, the Han Chinese are the world's largest ethnic group, but it takes such tangible experiences to realize the logistical problems this creates for the Chinese government. Let us not forget: China has less land mass than the United States and over four times as many people. It is a monumental task to take such a country from a third world designation to first world living standards while coping with explosive growth and tense political situations. I do not mean this as support for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because frankly I do not know enough, but what I have come to learn is that the situation is entirely different from what is understood by the West.

Western countries have the luxury of focusing on long-term sustainability because they already have a strong infrastructure and reliable growth to overcome short-term fears. This is not the case in countries like China where short term challenges are of more immediate concern. Indeed, the only way a country like China can tackle long-term problems is by first over-coming the everyday ones.

Call me short-sighted, but for now, I'll be content if they can just tackle the problem of approving my visa by next Wednesday, as promised.

Lastly, for any who don't understand why football is called "the beautiful game", take a look at this goal from a few days ago.