The Chinese are working their way up the international ladder – fast. They are moving about securing ties with all useful people: Investing in Greece in times of crisis, looking for resources in Africa, learning about the Norwegian welfare model, buying international car companies, discussing human rights. The list is long and they mean business.
The Chinese model of government and finance is now considered better than others: A blend of private and State system where the real power lies with the State, but where businesses are allowed to do well. The limits seems to be developing and undergoing testing.
The other trend in the world is that big companies are now bigger than many states. Many global companies dominate their business areas completely, in many countries there are now oligopolies controlling central parts of the economy. Of the 50 biggest economies in the world 20 are said to be companies.
The old capitalistic system with free markets are not working at all, and combining this with the state capitalism we see in many countries a new system is under way: a combination of state capitalism and company capitalism with a huge centralization of capital, and with it clout.
This will have consequences in the long run: The free market is severely restricted to small business only. The economic freedom possible for all will be getting near a point of zero. But be little and all will be well. Be a worker and you have a life.
The question of natural resources and competition for these resources for development is the next big fight coming up. This is a bit like the Europeans going all over fetching what they needed – now there are new masters, and the pattern repeats itself. This will now run its course as history repeats itself.
But in the long run we need something better. We need a system that can be mended before it breaks down, can be developed sensibly and that is fair to all.
A state will in the long run be centralized, politicized, restrictive and in the widest sense undemocratic. We need political and economic freedom, equal opportunity and social stability – and all at the same time. So far we’ve managed one or two at a time. Increased size of huge companies will make it even worse.
To suggest a few new notions: The world’s resources should undergo common pool resource management, local communities everywhere should be strengthened, cooperative voluntary ventures should be encouraged, the thinking of systems and symbiosis introduced, big companies should not be allowed to flourish wildly, capital should be distributed more evenly with huge build-ups disallowed, a new monetary system considered, we must choose areas of activity where products and services are not marketable.
The fighting about everything must stop sometime – community, cooperation and symbiosis are the new words of honour.
Tags: symbiosis