The People’s Republic of China seems to be morphing into a New Labour-style nanny state, says Brendan O’Neill. But at least the Chinese stand up to their regime
The 60th birthday celebrations of the People’s Republic of China seemed to confirm that, for all its embrace of Western-style capitalism, China remains a faraway place where they do things differently. Can you imagine young female soldiers in powder-blue mini-skirts and go-go boots goose-stepping through the streets of London? Or 8,000 soldiers marching in military precision followed by 500 tanks and 18 vehicles showcasing brand-new giant nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles? Poor Brown can barely raise a smile among delegates at his annual party conference. Yet as China’s 60th birthday celebrations began, there was President Hu Jintao speaking authoritatively to 200,000 of his fawning citizens in Tiananmen Square. The message to the world seemed to be not so much ‘Wish us happy birthday’, as ‘Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’.
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