What Experts Say about Situation in China

Social Entrepreneurs in China?

by Global X — last modified 2006-10-31 10:22

Today at the Skoll World Forum, Joshua Ramo (with Kissinger Associates), reminded us that 400 million people have already escaped from poverty. But to further raise rural income and improve overall life conditions, China must go through a major urbanisation phase. He also mentioned that the Chinese authorities are very pragmatic: genetically modified food is widely accepted, in large part because food security was still an issue in the recent past, and everything is done to avoid facing the famines of the 19th and 20th centuries.

He Fan, an economist, likes to say that “there are a lot of similarities between raising a five-year old and advising the Chinese government.” One has to be patient and make them feel comfortable and confident in their own capabilities so that they can reach adulthood (in the case of his son) or join the international community (in the case of China). But it is important to move slowly: sometimes, the Chinese authorities are not sure whether N.G.O.s are not in fact A.G.O.s –Anti-Government Organisations.

Considering the social upheaval that China is currently facing (massive urbanisation and globalisation), there is no doubt that social entrepreneurs have a major role to play there. Karen Tse, whose organisation concentrates on criminal law in China, reminded us that the word for ‘crisis’ in Chinese is both ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity.’ The perfect mantra for a social entrepreneur…