EAST CHINA STUDENT LEADERS HOPEFUL ABOUT THE FUTURE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SHANGHAI 000181 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PD, ECA/A/E/USS NSC FOR WILDER AND TONG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR SOCI CH SUBJECT: EAST CHINA STUDENT LEADERS HOPEFUL ABOUT THE FUTURE Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly. Not for dissemination outside USG channels. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Recent discussions with East China student leaders as part of the selection process for a USG-funded student leadership institute indicated that many students were satisfied with Chinese government policies and goals and optimistic that China would continue to develop economically in the future. Many admired the United States for its freedoms, innovative thinking and diversity. But while these students claimed to be leaders, their future plans were surprisingly limited in scope and lacking ambition. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Congenoffs interviewed 14 of East China's top student leaders during the week of March 19 for the 2007 U.S. Institute for Student Leaders, a 5-week Fulbright program. They had been self-selected or identified by local contacts as up-and-coming undergraduate leaders. Ten of those interviewed were from Fudan University, while the others came from Zhejiang University, Nanjing University and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Most of the applicants were active in student government; some had high-level positions in the students unions. A few were also involved in NGOs such as the Red Cross and Roots and Shoots. During the course of the interviews, applicants provided their views on China and its future, the United States and their plans for future careers. -------------- China: Confident in the Government and Future -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The majority of students interviewed were pleased with the Chinese government and its policies. One student was proud of how China handled the 2003 SARS outbreak, noting that China was able to deal with it quickly and efficiently because of its strong central government. He opined that not even the United States would have been able to handle the problem as well as China had. Another student said she wished she could strengthen the government's one-child policy. Since she was an only child that had received the best education, the government had sent her to the countryside as an example of the benefits of the one-child policy. She came away from her experience of seeing firsthand how impoverished people living in the countryside were convinced that the one-child policy needed to be strengthened. ¶4. (SBU) Many applicants had problems answering questions from Congenoffs on Chinese law and which aspects of the legal system needed reform. While a few applicants said they would advocate for more freedom of speech, at least three noted that law in China was not very important. Three applicants, including one law student, supported more efforts at promoting the rule of law in China. A different applicant said that it would be impossible to change the constitutional, criminal or administrative law in China. Others advocated for clearer regulations on NGOs and volunteerism, while two applicants supported changing economic laws, including the tax law. ¶5. (SBU) All of the applicants were optimistic about China's future. Two believed that China would follow Singapore's course and have significant economic freedom, but limited political freedom. The majority said that China would continue to develop on its own path and not resemble any other country in the future. Only a small minority believed that there would be more political reforms in the future. Others noted that it was important for China to first develop its economy before embarking on political reforms. According to one applicant, there would be room for political freedom, but only after the economy was developed. -------------- -- USA: Land of Freedom, Innovation, and Diversity -------------- -- ¶6. (SBU) All applicants had a positive view of the United States. Most said that they received their information on the United States from movies, television programs and books. Few had much contact with Americans, although some had studied under American professors. When asked what they admired most about America, many applicants said they liked America because it had freedom of speech. A few admired America for its diversity and equal opportunity for its citizens. A few admired America for its people's creativity. One noted that America had advanced technology and ideas and said he wanted to learn to think like SHANGHAI 00000181 002 OF 002 an American. One admired America for because it had a lot of NGOs and community service. -------------- Future Careers: Limited Horizons -------------- ¶7. (SBU) When asked about their own futures, many applicants were far from ambitious. None of the applicants aspired to becoming a high-level leader. While a few wanted to join the government, most wanted to continue in academia or work at a multinational firm. Many felt that the best way they could influence society was to begin their own NGO or become an influential scholar. -------------- Comment: Greenhouse Flowers -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The view of these undergraduates were representative of those of the many students Congenoffs have had discussions with around East China. Like many college students, especially those at elite universities like Fudan, they have lived a sheltered life, coddled by their parents and pushed towards academic success. These students are sometimes called greenhouse flowers in Chinese for the protective environment they have grown up in, seem ill-prepared for life outside their cocoons. They have also grown up in a time of prosperity in China. They are products of an intentionally nationalistic educational system and tend to be very supportive of their government. Their optimism for the future, is perhaps a reflection of this. ¶9. (SBU) Congenoffs were struck by these students' apparent lack of vision for the future - most stuck pretty closely to government pronouncements on the primacy of economic development. Their lack of ambition in their own lives was also striking - most had a difficult time imagining themselves outside the comfortable cocoon of the university campus. The fact that none of them expressed any ambition to be a government leader could be an indication that, for many young Chinese, such goals are completely beyond their reach. JARRETT