This paper contains two articles based on recent visits to China. The first article looks in turn at Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China, and concludes that China will change, economically at first, then politically. Economic forces will draw Taiwan and the mainland closer together. The reversion of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty will accelerate both these processes.
The second article deals with Chinese relations with South Africa, and also with its economic transformation. The PRC wants to establish diplomatic relations with South Africa; the major impediments are apartheid and South Africa’s diplomatic relations with the ROC. President de Klerk’s reforms may provide the catalyst to establish economic relations between the two countries.
Economically, the PRCs staggering population poses the government’s principal challenge. The legacies of the Cultural Revolution made effective population policy virtually impossible. The PRCs restructuring programme started with agricultural reform, as well as industrial development in the coastal provinces. However, development is retarded by inadequate infrastructure and environmental pollution.
