(Researcher and Trainer Institute of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia melakumulu@yahoo.com)
Number “one” has significant position and meaning in the historical, philosophical, economic, social, cultural, and political issues of the government and people of China. It also symbolizes “leadership, honor and dignity” in China. Moreover, the number has a meaning of “the beginning, the origin, and the whole”. One source says that there are over 260 phrases and more than 420 idioms beginning with the number “one” in China’s language system. One of the famous Chinese idiomatic expressions says “The journey of a thousand miles begins with ONE step”. Chinese also usually say “One heart, one mind”.
In this piece I will focus on One Child Policy, One Country Two Systems, Leaning to One Side, One Line Strategy, One China Principle and One China Policy, One Belt One Road, One Dog Policy, One Ruling Party, and One Time Zone.
One Child Policy
Currently, China has about 1.4 billion population. In the years between 1949 and 969, the population number of China grew very fast. During this period the population number grew from 541 million to 800 million. The 1990 population censuses also showed that there was an average increase of 12.97 million people every year.
Realizing this situation the government of China decided to implement a One-Child policy to control the fast-growing population that may hinder economic and social development and put pressure on natural resources. This policy is also constitutional. According to Article 25 of the Chinese Constitution, “The State Promotes Family Planning so that population growth may fit the plans for economic and social development”.
The implementation of family planning could prevent the growth of population number from additional multi-millions. Starting from 2016, the Chinese government has revised the One Child Policy so that all Chinese couples can have two children. This revision of the policy was forwarded by the government after achieving success in economy and literacy. This policy has been revised to reduce the burden on individuals who have the practice of supporting extended family members of the couples.
One Country Two Systems
China has a unitary system of administration and applies the principle of democratic centralism. Hong Kong and Macao were taken from China by the British and Portuguese governments in 1840 and 1887 respectively. Through rigorous and tiresome diplomatic efforts of China, both Hong Kong and Macao have been returned to China in 1997 and 1999 respectively. The next challenge was how to integrate the people of both territories into the other parts of China. It was at this critical juncture “One Country Two Systems” approach was innovated.
According to this system “one country” means China, and “two systems” means socialist and capitalist systems. Thus, Hong Kong (Xianggang) and Macao are to be returned to China, but they are given the right to follow their existing ideology called capitalism for 50 years. With this system, both the people of Hong Kong and Macao will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in governance. However, the foreign and national defense of China will have power in both territories.
The issue of Taiwan can also be solved with this “One Country Two Systems” approach. The experiences of the government of China in Hong Kong and Macao are exemplary to rule Taiwan as part of China. Sooner or later this system will be implemented in Taiwan and solve the age-long problem between China and some other Western countries.
Leaning to One Side
In its early days after the founding of the PRC, new China followed a strategy of leaning to one side, the side of Socialism. Soon, China formed diplomatic relations and an alliance with the former Soviet Union and other East European Socialist countries. Leaning to one side doesn’t mean China would blindly follow the Soviet Union in the international arena, nor that China had become the satellite of the Soviet Union.
During the Cold War period, almost all communist countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa were satellite states to the Soviet Union. There were direct orders from the Soviet Union in their political decisions and governance. However, China refused to accept such a relationship with the Soviet Union and stood by itself. Towards the end of the 1950s differences came into being between CPC and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on some theoretical questions of principles. When the Soviet Union crumbled into pieces, almost all other satellite states faced the same problem. However, China continued to exist as a communist country up to today.
One Line Strategy
The one-line strategy of China began in the mid-1970s and lasted until the early 1980s. This strategy was crafted by Chairman Mao Zedong. During this period, China formally put an end to its alliances with the Soviet Union. This strategy led China to side with the United States of America in opposition to the Soviet Union. But this doesn’t mean that China joined the Western camp by rejecting Socialist Ideology. The secret visit of Henry Kisinger in 1971 to China played a role in the better relationship between China and the USA. On the other hand, the Soviet Union supported Vietnam’s anti-China activities.
During these periods, there was a fierce Cold War and competition between the Soviet Union and the USA. China realized that this situation was not only between the two social systems, but it was also for hegemonic power. At this time the rough relations between China and the USA improved. This strategy helped China not to be a satellite state of the Soviet Union. In the later period, however, the good relationship between China and Russia came into being. Thus, now this One Line Strategy is no more in use in China. Currently, China is working with both Russia and the USA based on its new policy and strategy.
One China Principle and One China Policy
One China Principle and One China Policy are two sides of a coin. The one-China principle is a core belief of the Chinese government, while the one-China policy is a pragmatic approach adopted by countries to navigate the complex political situation between China and Taiwan.
Thus, the One-China principle is one of the fundamental parts of the foreign policy of the Government of the PRC. In establishing bilateral relations with the PRC, recognition of the one-China principle is a prerequisite. The principle underlines that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Legally, the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, the United Nations Resolution 2758, and other international documents substantiate that Taiwan belongs to China. Few countries in the world do not recognize the One China Policy. The Kingdom of Eswatini (Kingdom of Swaziland) is a case in point.
One Belt One Road
One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative was taken by President Xi Jinping in 2013. This initiative has taken the ancient Silk Road international trade of China into consideration. It aims to enhance connectivity and promote economic cooperation among countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond. It consists of two components i.e. the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The former focuses on land-based infrastructure projects, and the latter focuses on maritime routes and port development.
The initiative includes a wide range of sectors focusing on transportation, energy, telecommunications, and trade. It also promotes people-to-people relations. Based on this initiative, many countries are getting benefits.
One Ruling Party
China’s ruling system is different from both the British Parliamentary and the American Presidential system of governance. In both countries, different parties can win elections and govern the country. The non-ruling parties are also called opposition parties. There is confrontational democracy in the Western countries. This is different from China’s political governance system.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) is the only ruling party of the government. It has been the leading force in the political life of the country for more than a century. In addition to CPC, there are other political parties in China. These political parties are “participatory parties” i.e. they are not designated as opposition parties. These parties work “through multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China”.
One Dog Policy
In some of China’s big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, there is one dog policy. According to this policy, only one dog is allowed per household. There are many reasons for this policy. The major reason is to control diseases related to dogs, especially rabies, which killed many people who were infected. In the latter years, the government could control rabies by using vaccinations and treatments.
There is also a restriction on having big and dangerous dogs. Even one can’t import dogs from another country which contradicts the policy. Thus the size of a dog is also limited to be small size. This also helps to protect residents who are living and using lift in their big apartments.
Currently, many dogs in Beijing are equal or a bit bigger size than a cat. All dogs should also be registered and known by the government. Thus, unlicensed and abandoned dogs cannot move in the cities freely. This policy can also help to minimize various types of pollution related to dogs. In my opinion, the One Child Policy of China has contributed to having one more dog in a family.
One Time Zone
In a territorial aspect, China is amongst the first four largest countries in the world. China has a vast land and geographically stretches across five time zones. As the rules show us in every 15 degrees of longitude there will be one hour difference in the world. According to the rule 15 degrees were chosen because a circle has 360 degrees and 360 divided by 24 hours is 15 degrees. Thus each hour, Earth rotates through 15° of longitude.
The size of China covers five–fifteen degree longitudes. Based on this rule, a place in the easternmost place of China will have five-hour differences with the westernmost part of China. But this rule is not working by the “One Time Zone” rule of China called China Standard Time. This is to mean that in China all places use similar hours whether one lives in the easternmost or westernmost territory of China. This decision was passed in China by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1949. One of the reasons was to unify the nation. This decision is still working in China.
To sum up, for China “number one” is not only a number by itself. It has also significance to the philosophical, political, economic, social and cultural thoughts of China to address various national and global problems. For China “One” is a frame to limit number, to show specific direction and strategy of the government, to set a building block to future success, to emphasize the importance of a matter, be inclusive or be universal, to indicate critical commitments to sovereignty and territorial integrity. Some of these focuses can be good lessons to developing countries to solve their holistic challenges and improve quality of life. In the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, “number one” is a symbol of unity, completeness, integration, interconnectedness and partnership in building the community of shared future for mankind in the world.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY MELAKU MULUALEM K
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 30 MAY 2024
