China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, inc - Willem Van Kemenade

On June 20, 1997, Hong Kong reverted to China after 99 years of British rule. This event marked the reunification of the old Chinese empire in a new world economic superpower. Since the early 1980s, investment money has been pouring into China from Hong Kong and trade has been escalating at rocket pace. A few years later, the same pattern began between China and Taiwan. The combination of Hong Kong/Taiwan management and financial know-how and China's inexhaustible pool of cheap labour has enabled China to leap from impoverished revolutionary state to major world trading power. But as China reclaims Hong Kong, it inherits a political city-state with democratic structures. Can China become the first totally post-political 'corporatist' superpower, while making itself impermeable to the 'spiritual pollution' of outside democratic values, human rights values and political freedom?