Headed to China: Am I 3 Weeks Late?

By Travis Altman

Last weekend I ran into an old friend and told him I was headed to China in a matter of days.  He was quick to wish me luck, but then there was an awkward pause.  "It sounds like an awesome trip," he said.  "But aren't you a couple weeks late?"

My buddy has a point.  From most people's perspective, china's 15 minutes in the spotlight ended after the closing ceremonies of the summer Olympics.  China spent something like $40 billion on the games and nearly three-quarters of the world's population tuned in to watch.  However, that massive investment only bought a few moments of the world's attention.  Here in the U.S., we got over Olympic fever even faster than we caught it and moved on to thinking about elections, hurricanes and the economy.

So why would I want to go to China now?  Because I think China is still the story and the most important chapters are still waiting to be written.  The Olympics were just a spectacle meant to highlight a more meaningful reality: China is becoming an important power.  The country's economy has grown by double-digits in each of the past five years as it turns away from communism and begins to embrace at least some elements of a free market system.  China will soon be the United States’ largest trading partner and is on track to be the world's largest economy by 2025.

If you watched the amazing Olympic opening ceremonies, you might think this transition has been relatively easy and is almost complete.  However, appearances can be deceiving.  China has yet to prove all that pomp and circumstance was for real.  Now they must convince not only the rest of the world but also its own people - most of whom only experienced the Olympics on television.  They must do this at a time when the whole word is facing an uncertain political and economic future.

Over the next two weeks, I will have the extraordinary opportunity to visit China thanks to the East-West Center, an organization committed to fostering dialogue between the U.S. and China.  I will travel to Beijing, the city that hosted the Olympics, as well as Hong Kong, Kunming and Shangri-La.  I will be able to speak with government officials, business leaders and ordinary Chinese people and ask then what lies ahead for China after the Olympics and what that will mean for the entire world.  Throughout the trip I will share my experiences with you through this blog.

I hope you will check back and keep up with my pursuit of the real Chinese story, the one that begins now that the games have ended.