Читать книгу China Rising - Alexander Scipio - Страница 6

Beijing

Tuesday, 12 March, 13:10 hours GMT (21:10 Local)

Deputy Yong En Flou read through the reports again. The numbers hadn’t changed. He sighed, put down his reading glasses and lit a cigarette. Looking at the ceiling and the single bulb glowing in the darkness, he walked himself through the last several months.

After trying for what sometimes seemed to be forever, finally he had gotten through to Premier Fang. Demographics weren’t going to change on their own – something had to be done to change them. The question had been: What?

China’s leaders expected to be able to urbanize another 200 million Chinese from rural areas over the next decade. Urbanization was the only way to achieve economic progress for China’s hundreds of millions of people, to sustain its growing economy, and to lift its population out of deep poverty. Unbeknownst to most, the economic damage to China was tremendous when America, its largest customer, sustained a terrorist attack. When terror or even credible threats of an attack occurred, American consumers simply stopped spending, destroying Chinese jobs. The attack last October had proved this again.

Once the senior members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China addressed the economic damage that Islamist terrorism directed against the West, particularly against America, was inflicting on the Chinese economy and modernization plans, they arrived at the only answer that made sense to them.

The discussion surrounding the implementation of their answer continued at the most senior levels for some time. By the time it made it to the rest of the Politburo it seemed to have been a nearly resolved plan of action awaiting only the right time.

Into this Deputy Yong had injected his concern over demographics, seeing it as a likely way to, as Americans said, “Kill two birds with one stone.” How apt a phrase, he thought as he considered the smoke dribbling from his nose and rising lazily toward the ceiling.

He sipped from a cup of coffee, now nearly empty and tepid at best, inhaled again from his American cigarette, and considered some more.

Because of both ignorance and tradition China now had a deficit of approximately eight million females in the age range of 0-14 years of age. The deficit aged 15-30 added another twenty million. Nearly thirty million males already born would never find a mate, would not reproduce, drastically aging China, as well as failing to create another generation of consumers or workers, harming the long-term vitality of the nation.

Another puff and another sip, this time draining his cup. He set it down softly, still deep in thought.

The post-puberty problem would be more difficult to fix, he knew. If only we could find eight million females not yet at puberty. The younger, the better, of course, due to assimilation issues, as well as weaning them from their parents and societies, whoever and wherever they were. And another 10-20 million who had already reached their reproductive years. 30 million females…

And there his idea had sat for fourteen months, gathering dust in the distant reaches of his mind.

Then the premier had presented the plan regarding terrorism – a way, really not only to stop terror on their markets in the West, but to end it wherever it was found. A plan of incredible breadth, just not yet finalized; awaiting… something… to give it that final push.

From the back of his mind had come a single word: Demographics. He presented it to the interest and growing excitement of the Politburo. It was the final piece of the puzzle.

The Politburo listened, accepted, decided. Now they were moving forward. Logistics was a challenge, but one that could be overcome.

He rose, walked to the doorway, turned off the light and left the room. Logistics were for others.

His idea, now his plan, had raised the estimation of him by members of the Standing Committee. More importantly, a solution now existed for China’s gender imbalance. There now would be wives for millions of young Chinese boys when they came of age, and for millions of young Chinese men needing women. Those who understood the issue knew that China would become old long before it would become rich and powerful. Now this could, and would change.

And that was a very good thing.