Sir, - We must accept that for most Chinese, the miracle of China's recent history is that at least the people can eat. In the context of its 5,000-year civilisation, the political upheavals of the last 100 years are a mere eye-blink.
However, the sad truth is that the forging of the present state of China has been at the cost of a holocaust which makes those of Hitler and even Stalin look modest. The best expert opinion is that a total of over 85 million people died as a direct result of Mao's rule, the majority in the disastrous "Great Leap Forward". Human rights violations and the lack of real justice are still the hard face of Chinese fascism, as Tibet, Zinjiang and any dissenting voice can testify.
The myth of China's economic miracle still bedazzles the greedy West, politicians and entrepreneurs alike. The fact is that in real terms, despite localised areas of extreme wealth, China's overall economy is in recession, with per capita income well down the international league tables. Environmental pollution is the single major cause of death, through respiratory and intestinal disease. China has nine of the world's 10 most polluted cities. Over 85 per cent of all domestic and industrial waste is dumped, untreated, into lakes and rivers. Overall, less than 10 per cent of sewage is treated and 50 per cent of urban ground water is contaminated.
Unrestrained deforestation in the Tibetan highlands has led to steadily worsening down-river flooding. The spectre of famine is again in the offing with the loss of over 1.5 million square kilometres of scarce arable land due to overuse and desertification since Deng Ziaopeng's economic reforms.
Measures to deal with China's huge problems are stymied by a level of "pay-off" corruption to local party officials which extends all the way from the remotest villages up to the centre of power in Beijing. In the present scramble for wealth and power, there is little likelihood of the situation improving.
The People's Republic of China may have much to boast of after 50 years. However, without a willingness to open up the monolithic power structure, addressing the problem areas will make the next 50 years another nightmare. - Yours, etc.
Anthony O'Brien, Tibet Support Group Ireland, Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4.