-          Stand against power in support of their interests 

-          Disagree with international directions which are not supported 

-          Use military power when required

-          Be sensible in response (not nuclear!)

-          Remember and engage countries which have previously treated China poorly (Japan)

-          Protect China’s sovereignty and guard against interference in their territory. �

The OECD provides some important information about how we trust Governments. In short, a lack  of trust compromises the willingness of the population to respond and contribute to the nation. So many of the public policy decisions Government make actually depends on the population to contribute or at the very least remain compliant/not oppose. Trust in some key Government’s is decreasing (only 40% of citizens trust their Governments). The graph just shows some of the countries. Most counties have had trust fall recently (perhaps the impact of the financial crisis?). 

The Harvard article suggests that there is trust with Chinese characteristics! The major difference seems to be the high impact of individuals and relationships in China. The West, however, can build trust through track records instead and have a strong concept of trust in institutions. We care about this because it impacts on how Government can build trust and also goes someway to explaining Chinese fascination with their leaders. It is hard for a Government to build relationships with people which may explain the importance placed on the leader/president. China has a very active and public president because he has to connect with the people to build trust.

The evidence does show some indicators are higher see: https://data.oecd.org/china-people-s-republic-of.htm

This link provides a very useful overview of chronology of events which have shaped China’s Government. Some of the events, like the response to SARS, china in Space and the anticorruption work have increased trust. Some have destroyed it – like the cultural revolution.  But just as the events have effected trust, I think some of the events have only occurred because of low trust in Government or the need to build up trust in government (like anticorruption).

The video details a Chinese citizen’s journey about trusting Government. It looks at the narratives that Chinese people grow with and contrasts this against more common western ideals. It then traces how the Government in China ‘corrects’ poor policy without taking responsibility for failures. How can a population trust a Government who does this? 

He also traces the evolution of meritocracy in politics –which is interesting given it is often a complaint western countries hold about their government (all old Caucasian men in Australia!). 

The link is to a blog https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-Chinese-people-trust-their-government# 

It focuses on similarities about trust – all about the individuals that make up Government. If these people are corrupt or ‘bad’ you can’t trust government. This is how we link the notions of corruption to trust.

The attached details common checks and balances and how they apply to China. 

 

China tries to provide checks and balances through Government structure like the use of committees, internal oversight authorities (like the CCDI) and so on. My issue with this is that if Government doesn’t like the behaviour of the part in the structure which challenges them, they can change the structure – there is no second line of defence. 

The other check of course, is China’s dependence on trade – other countries actually act as a check and balance. This has not always been successful! 

-          Ability to implement reforms

-          Compliance 

-          Confidence in economy 

-          Support in crisis

-          Effective Government institutions

-          Social cohesion 

But should China care? Hengjun seems to think that trust will be a barrier to China’s future development but it clearly isn’t yet! http://thediplomat.com/2015/01/time-to-rethink-chinese-diplomacy/ 

Check out http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-27/dal-santo-us-alliance-could-be-our-china-fail-safe/5477528 

Interesting article which details some indicators of trust. It was a study of about 3,300 households across China but in the end there was no shocking discovery or conclusion – basically Government behaviour can influence trust. Not exactly a novel point of view…