EAST CHINA STUDENT LEADERS HOPEFUL ABOUT THE FUTURE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SHANGHAI 000181

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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.

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China: Confident in the Government and Future
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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.

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USA: Land of Freedom, Innovation, and Diversity
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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.

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Future Careers: Limited Horizons
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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.

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Comment: Greenhouse Flowers
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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