Written by Frank Li
Democracy (e.g. the U.S.) vs. autocracy (e.g. China), which one is better? Well, on top of a system analysis (Towards An Ideal Form of Government), let’s look at the top leaders.
As both the U.S. and China recently changed, or re-affirmed, their top leaders, there is no better time than now to compare the leaders in the two nations to draw a stark contrast.
In this article, I will briefly compare the top three leaders, in the executive branch only, between the U.S. and China.
For the U.S., they are (from left to right):
Barack Obama, the American President.
Joe Biden, America’s VP.
John Kerry, America’s Secretary of State.
For China, they are (from left to right):
Xi Jinping, the Chinese President.
Li Yuanchao, China’s VP.
Li Keqiang, China’s Prime Minister.
The table below shows a comparison from some basic, but important, aspects:
Highlights:
Barack Obama was too inexperienced (and too young) when he became the American President in 2009.
The three U.S. leaders “jumped” to their current jobs, while the three Chinese leaders “advanced” to their current jobs, well prepared, mostly as deputies for many years.
None of the three U.S. leaders has ever served as a state governor, while all the three Chinese leaders have.
Three notes for America:
Experience matters! You must have served as a state governor for one full term at least before being eligible to run for the President! For more, read: The American Presidency: Let’s Redefine It, Now!
Age matters! Both experience and wisdom come with age. Any doubt? Read: Jerry Brown, California’s Grownup Governor. For more, read: American Presidency: Raising The Minimum Age to 55!
Leadership matters! How could the fortuitous leaders in America possibly compete against the Chinese leaders nurtured in the GE way? No way, absolutely! For more, read: America: What is China’s Political System, Anyway?
Once again, “in a competitive world today, all that a hiker needs to do, when chased by a hungry grizzle, is to run a bit faster than the other hiker!”
For a complete school of thought about China and the U.S., read my book: Saving America, Chinese Style!
