CHINA may not have a democratic system but its people are currently more interested in obtaining higher standards of living than they are in votes and freedom of speech.
That was the point made by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Friday during an exchange with Time International editor Michael Elliott.
The two were speaking during a dialogue at the Apec CEO Summit. Mr Lee was the guest speaker and Mr Elliott was the moderator of the session.
Mr Lee had been outlining what he saw as the benefits of the Chinese leadership system when Mr Elliot remarked: 'It's not a democratic system.'
'The Chinese people are not interested,' was the Minister Mentor's quick retort. He explained that as the Chinese were trying to catch up with the world, their primary concern was with achieving the standard of living they saw in the more developed Asian economies.
'You got your pro-democracy activists, but do the Chinese people worry about their vote and freedom of speech? They want the lives that they see in Hong Kong, in Singapore and before this downturn, in Taiwan,' he said.
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