Japan katika historia imetangazwa na harakati za kiliberali kuwa hadithi ya mafanikio, kwa kuwa ilikubali masoko huria, ikapunguza vikwazo vya biashara na kuingia katika uchumi wa dunia, na ndani ya chini ya nusu karne ikawa mojawapo ya uchumi mkubwa zaidi duniani. Simulizi kama hizo pia zinatolewa kuhusu kupanda kwa umaarufu kwa China hivi karibuni. Hata hivyo, uhalisia ni tofauti sana.

Japan historically is advocated as a success story by the liberal movement, who adopted free markets, reduced trade barriers and entered the global economy and has in less than half a century become one of the largest economies in the world. Similar tales are also made about China’s recent rise to fame. However, the reality is very much different.

Maendeleo ya Japani yamebadilika kutoka sera ambazo ni kinyume kabisa cha uliberali na utandawazi. Serikali ya Japani ilihitaji sekta muhimu zikue na kuzilinda dhidi ya ushindani wa kigeni. Serikali ilihifadhi haki ya kugawa fedha za kigeni, na kwa njia hii iliweza kuzuia uwekezaji kutoka nje, kusimamia upatikanaji wa teknolojia ya kigeni na makampuni ya Kijapani, na kuathiri muundo wa biashara ya nje. Benki ya Mauzo ya Nje ya Japani na Benki ya Maendeleo ya Japani ziliundwa ili ziwe vyombo vikuu vya kupanua mtiririko wa fedha kwa viwanda vilivyolengwa na serikali.

Japan’s development has evolved from policies which are the complete opposite to liberalism and globalisation. The Japanese government required key sectors to develop and protected them from foreign competition. The government retained the right to allocate foreign exchange, and by this it was able to restrict inward investment, manage the acquisition of foreign technology by Japanese firms and to influence the composition of foreign trade. The export bank of Japan and Japan development bank were setup to become the main vehicles for expanding the flow of finance to government targeted industries.

Kulikuwa na jukumu kuu katika maendeleo ya Japani lililochezwa na Wizara ya Biashara ya Kimataifa na Viwanda (MITI), ambayo ilikuwa idara ya kiwizara. Idara hii kuu ya serikali ilidhibiti uzalishaji na usambazaji wa bidhaa na huduma. Ilitengeneza mipango inayohusu muundo wa viwanda vya Japani, ilidhibiti biashara ya nje ya Japani, ilihakikisha mtiririko mzuri wa bidhaa katika uchumi wa taifa, ilikuza maendeleo ya viwanda vya utengenezaji, uchimbaji madini na usambazaji; na ilisimamia upatikanaji wa uhakika wa malighafi na rasilimali za nishati. Kwa hiyo, maendeleo ya Japani yaliongozwa kwa njia kuu na si kupitia soko huria.

Central to the development of Japan was the role of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) which was a ministerial department. This central government department regulated production and the distribution of goods and services. It developed plans concerning the structure of Japanese industry, controlled Japan’s foreign trade, ensured the smooth flow of goods in the national economy, promoted the development of manufacturing, mining, and distribution industries; and supervised the procurement of a reliable supply of raw materials and energy resources. Hence Japanese development was centrally driven and not through the free market.

China imebadilika kutoka miongo mingi ya mtazamo mrefu, mwembamba na wa kujibu matukio katika masuala ya dunia. China inaachana na fikra yake ya muda mrefu ya kujiona kama mwathirika wa miaka 150 ya aibu na udhalilishaji, na badala yake inakubali fikra ya kuwa nguvu kubwa (daguo xintai). Matokeo ya asili ya hili ni kuongezeka kwa nafasi ya China katika masuala ya dunia. Kwa kuachana na fikra ya kuwa mwathirika na kukubali fikra ya kuwa nguvu kubwa, China inazidi kujiona kuwa karibu zaidi na nguvu kuu za dunia. Hili linaashiria mabadiliko kutoka miaka ya 1990, na sasa China inazungumza waziwazi kuhusu haja ya kugawana majukumu ya kimataifa, na huu ndio mtazamo ambao wanamkakati wa China wanautumia kuiangalia dunia.

China has evolved from its decades of long, narrow and reactive approach to global affairs. China is abandoning its long-held victim mentality of 150 years of shame and humiliation and adopting instead a great power mentality (daguo xintai). The natural extension of this is the increasing role of China in global affairs. With the abandoning of the victim mentality and the adoption of a great power mentality, China is increasingly seeing itself more akin to the world’s major powers. This represents a shift from the 1990’s and China is now openly speaking about the need to share global responsibilities and this is the lens through which China’s strategists view the world.

China inaleta changamoto ya kuvutia kwa wataalamu wa uchumi wa kawaida na kwa wote wanaoamini kwamba kupitisha maadili ya kiliberali ni sawa na mafanikio ya kiuchumi. Kwanza kabisa, China inaidhoofisha imani kwamba maendeleo ni haki ya pekee ya mfumo wa Magharibi wa masoko huru, demokrasia na maadili ya kiliberali, na inaonyesha jinsi sehemu kubwa ya dunia bado haijashawishika na mfumo huo.

China represents an interesting conundrum for orthodox economics experts and for all those who believe the adoption of liberal values equals economic success. China firstly undermines the belief that progress is exclusive to the Western formula of free markets, democracy and liberal values and demonstrates how much of the wider world remains unconvinced of such a formula.

China imefanikiwa kupata ukuaji wa kiuchumi na uendelezaji wa viwanda wa kushangaza, si kwa kukubali demokrasia au kujiunga na kundi la wasomi wa utandawazi, bali kwa kubaki na mamlaka kali ya kiimla. Maadili ya kiliberali hayajachangia hata kidogo katika kupanda kwa uchumi wa China. Rais wa China Hu Jintao alisema mwaka 2004: ‘Hatutaiga kwa upofu mfumo wa kisiasa wa nchi nyingine kamwe. Historia inaonyesha kwamba kuiga mifumo ya kisiasa ya Magharibi bila kuchagua ni njia isiyo na mwisho kwa China.’40 Hili linaonyesha kwamba kuna uwezekano mdogo sana kwamba China itapitisha maadili ya kiliberali katika siku za karibuni, na inajiamini kwamba imepata mafanikio bila mfumo wa maendeleo wa Magharibi. Kiuchumi, China imetumia na kuendelea kuhifadhi mbinu yake inayoongozwa kikamilifu na serikali na yenye kuingilia kati, inayofanana na ile ya Japan na Ujerumani. China ina kiwango kikubwa cha ushiriki wa serikali katika sekta zote za soko. Kwa kuwa inaongozwa kikamilifu na serikali, China imeweza kuelekeza rasilimali zake upande mmoja, jambo lililoifanya kuwa nguvu ya kikanda na uchumi mkubwa zaidi duniani baada ya Marekani.

China has managed to achieve phenomenal economic growth and industrialisation by not adopting democracy or joining the globalisation elite but by remaining deeply authoritarian, where liberal values have not featured remotely in China’s economic rise. China’s President Hu Jintao said in 2004: ‘We will never blindly copy the mode of other countries’ political system. History indicates that indiscriminately copying western political systems is a blind alley for China.’40 This shows there is very little likelihood that China will adopt liberal values in the near future and is secure in the knowledge that it has achieved success without the Western model of development. Economically China has utilised and retained its centrally driven and interventionist approach similar to Japan and Germany. China has extensive levels of government involvement across all market sectors. By being centrally driven China has been able to direct its resources in one direction which has propelled it into a regional power and the largest economy in the world after the US.

China imepokea msaada mdogo kutoka ulimwengu wa Magharibi hasa kutokana na historia yake ya kikomunisti, na imeonyesha kwamba sera huru, inayoweka taifa kwanza na inayoongozwa kwa usimamizi wa serikali kuu, inaweza kufikia mafanikio ya kiuchumi.

China has received little assistance from the Western world mainly due to its historic communist credentials and has shown that an independent, nation first, centrally driven policy can attain economic success.