Letters

China's New Revolution

Our special report on the rise of China as an economic power and its revolutionary embrace of the modern world drew mail from readers who are excited and optimistic about China's new, enhanced role on the global stage. But others expressed concern that this might be bad news for the U.S.

"China has one of the oldest cultures as well as a young and optimistic work force that sees no limits. It is a nation of hope and vitality."

TED C. SODERBERG -- San Francisco

I applaud your extensive report on China [June 27]. As a person who has traveled to China and fallen in love with it, I appreciate your effort to broaden Americans' view of this often misunderstood country. China has made progress economically, but there are many major social issues that it has yet to face, such as high rates of female infanticide as well as rural poverty, religious persecution and restriction of freedoms. You are doing readers a great service by giving them a glimpse into the inner workings of another country.

ALYSSA BACON -- Temecula, Calif.

TIME asked, "Will the U.S. come to think of China as a friend or a foe?" That question seems to perpetuate cold war thinking. All of us do business every day with people we would not classify as friend or foe. Why should international relations be any different? That a nation's actions do not benefit the U.S. does not make that nation a foe.

ALAN MIDDENDORF -- Longmont, Colo.

Most Americans are concerned about jobs being moved offshore. Don't Chinese imports spell the end of profitable manufacturing jobs in the U.S.? Protecting the U.S. economy will require extreme measures. Tariffs seem to be the next logical step. Another possibility is launching a propaganda campaign. If every television show had a 30-sec. piece featuring empty U.S. factories, Chinese goods just might stop flying off the shelves.

JOHN A. TARDY -- Cordova, Tenn.

As a young student who is Chinese, I have been exposed only to the notion that China is communist and bad. I hope your report will help many readers understand that China isn't as bad as some history teachers make it out to be. Americans need to accept the fact that a country as big and as great as China will overtake the U.S. one day.

ALBERT QIAN -- San Jose, Calif.

"But can China innovate?" addressed the Chinese economy's need to move from producing cheap goods to formulating entirely new products and ideas. But with the money the country has, all it has to do is buy innovation or get it for free. People are falling all over themselves to establish a presence in China. Over time, the Chinese will learn how to innovate, just as they have learned how to make high-tech products at rock-bottom prices.

RICHARD DOROBA -- Plymouth, Mich.

China's transition from a Communist dictatorship to a free, capitalist democracy is inevitable. You can't give an oppressed people like the Chinese a taste of the free market without expecting them to rise up against their rulers.

MICHAEL STARR -- Naperville, Ill.

A nation of robotic consumers, like the U.S. has become, is no more enlightened, free or egalitarian than China.

ROBERT MYERS -- Santa Monica, Calif.

Napoleon considered China "A sleeping giant" but warned that "when she awakes, the world will tremble."

RICHARD BAIRD -- San Francisco

The Top Snoop Speaks

In TIME's interview with CIA Director Porter Goss [June 27], you asked him, "Could the U.S. go to war again based on false intelligence?" Goss disingenuously replied that he "would not agree to surmise" that we did so. Why can't Administration officials simply speak the truth about our invasion of Iraq? The indisputable fact is that President Bush justified the attack on Iraq based on intelligence that proved to be wrong.

GILBERT H. VIEIRA -- Colfax, Calif.