‘China Should Believe in Its Model’
Beijing Review: What’s your take on the huge differences between the political systems of China and the U.S.?
Peter Walker: If you start out with the idea that the role of a society over time is to improve the quality of life, the model in China is what I would call a corporate model. There’s really no difference between how China is organized and managed and the way IBM or other corporate giants are managed.
You have a CEO called the president. You have a board of directors of senior people who provide oversight, direction and counsel to the president. You have meritocracy where people rise up in the Party and government based on their performance. The Central Government has five-year plans to make sure that it executes what it needs in the short term, but also invests in the future. And everyone in senior management is aligned on the same goals and once decisions are made, everyone is
