Commentary

START WITH the kiddie toys, the pajamas, and the computers. Then think about how far China has come since a panicky politburo ordered the People’s Liberation Army to open fire on the people in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Consider the $2 trillion surplus China Inc.

Last week, a moderate reformist in China, Liu Xiaobo, was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Chinese government for the mere act of organizing and signing a petition, Charter 08, calling for political reform and the basic human rights much of the world already enjoys.

The two “China” parties — the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) — say they only want what is best for Taiwan when it comes to trade and economic exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. Chinese officials have even said that Taiwanese businesspeople go to China to make money off the backs of the Chinese.

China is a rapidly emerging nation, in the jargon of the day, but it has shown defects that will prevent it from being a true world power.