The dangers of chasing the dragon

China tourism growth was at the top of the agenda at the recent World Travel and Tourism Council Summit in Abu Dhabi. eTN Nelson Alcantara published his views on the growth of China tourism.

China tourism growth was at the top of the agenda at the recent World Travel and Tourism Council Summit in Abu Dhabi. eTN Nelson Alcantara published his views on the growth of China tourism. This article is in response to Nelson Alcantaraโ€™s eTN article,
Is China on par to destroy itself through pollution?
. I would like to add my thrupence-worth.

The โ€œWestโ€ (and by this I generalise by including so-called First World countries who may be geographically further east) has been kowtowing to the might of Beijing for a number of years now, seemingly without question or concern. Iโ€™ve watched as successive governments have fawned and stooped in their eagerness to climb into bed with the proverbial โ€œred dragonโ€ with nary a thought on principles and ethics, let alone basic issues such as human rights.
The Chinese PR machine has been omnipotent in its ability to hoodwink willing concubines into thinking that the relationships they indulge in are mutually beneficial, when actually they are nothing of the sort. They are and always will be in Chinaโ€™s best interests and are sufficiently sugar-coated only to ensure avid ingestion by the partner of choice.
The fear that those of us in the business of tourism and sustainability have is that once all of that saccharine has worn off and the indelible ink on the contract has dried, those same partners will slowly discover that they have done deals with the devil, and have sold-out lock, stock and several smoking barrels with no hope of ever buying their way back out.
That fear is most noticeable here in Africa, which China has been buying, nation by suffering, greedy nation, for the past decade. Desperation makes African governments cheap by comparison. Offer them a few roads, some basic infrastructure and a pile of money and theyโ€™re in like Flynn without any concern for the long-term consequences.
Those same consequences are, however, felt in the short-term, most notably in the rising demand for and consequent decimation of natural resources, from precious minerals to โ€œsofterโ€ items like ivory, shark fins and rhino horn. Let us make no bones about the fact that in spite of countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Korea taking the fall for driving the trade in illegal animal parts, China is the market they are chiefly supplying through the back door, as it were. The fact is that Chinese demand for ivory, fins and horn far outstrips that of its far-eastern cousins.
It is not surprising that countries with dubious track records in environmental policy making and human rights do not think twice about doing business with China, but what is perplexing is that the alleged major powers of this world are so keen to sell the principles on which their democracies were founded to a country which is still under communist rule.
It may appear that capitalism has successfully infiltrated the corridors of Chinese socialism, but the revolution needed to finally push the stake of democracy, and transparency, through Chinaโ€™s red, beating heart has yet to take place. Until that time the countryโ€™s actual policies and manifestos remain clouded in rhetoric and speculation.
I have no doubt that there are an untold number of superbly educated, brilliant minds in China who are working for a better future for humankind. But they have no say in the government of their country, a country which openly practices barbarism at all levels of society while the rest of the world is paid to politely look the other way.
At the risk of over-generalising and appearing paranoid, I remain exceedingly cautious of China and wary of its motives. There is nothing that leads me to believe that China either aims to be a leading light for humankind or has the best interests of Planet Earth at heart. In fact, all hard evidence points actively to the contrary on both counts.
So while the world opens its arms to the outbound Chinese travel market and salivates at the prospect of making a fast buck on the back of Beijing, I worry at what the future really holds and where this is all leading.
My father (God rest his soul) had a phrase which, though flippant, quite appropriately sums up the approach I think the world should take with China and its far-eastern cohorts until such time they can demonstrate a willingness to change… He said: โ€œNever trust a nation that eats dogs.โ€
As a dog lover and planet fan, I concur.

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Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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