China's Urbanization and Aid to Developing Countries

The two articles that I have chosen to write about are about China's urbanization and the foreign assistance being pledged by developed countries for developing countries.

The article on China demonstrated the division that exists between the urban and rural parts of the country that has accompanied economic growth. I was intrigued to see that the Chinese are experiencing characteristics that I have generally associated as being prevalent in the developed countries; these are a displacement of unskilled workers and the increased usage of technology. As I see the situation, this could be a sign that China will join the ranks of the other developed countries some day. If this happens, many of the products made in China may be made in other developing countries. Jeffrey Sachs speaks about sub-Saharan Africa being caught in a "poverty trap" because of their geographical location (Sachs 18, 50). However, one thing that came to my mind is the idea that manufacturing is an economic sector that could succeed if the necessary infrastructure was installed (i.e. roads, rail lines, and airports) to export goods. Maybe China's urban transition could be seen as sub-Saharan Africa's opportunity.

The information on the foreign assistance pledges made a few days ago shows how the Obama administration is committed to giving aid for developing countries and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. However, I thought it was noteworthy that the President said, "Our focus on assistance has saved lives in the short term, but it hasn?t [sic] always improved those societies over the long term." I agree with the concept articulated by President Obama. Developing nations should be asked to contribute to the betterment of their country.

References:

"China's urbanization transition causes growing anxiety," City Mayors, last modified November 27, 2008, accessed September 25, 2010 http://www.citymayors.com/habitat/habitat08-china.html.

Sachs, Jeffrey. Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (New York: Penguin, 2008).

"UN summit ends with pledges and lingering pessimism," AFP, accessed September 25, 2010, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gOwm3l1tKEF1bUYUORixIdnn4Uxg.

Note: Since I already had a blog, the submission of this post resulted in the username of "Oxford Conservative" popping up. It should say "BSica."