Five misconceptions dominate the Western media’s discourse on China. These misunderstandings need to be debunked by realities.

1. China does not hold elections, therefore its rulers do not have the consent of the ruled:

• Chinese people’s satisfaction with the direction of their country was at 87 percent in 2010
• 74 percent are optimistic about the next five years.

2. China is an authoritarian state in which the party’s political power is concentrated and self-perpetuating:

• The Communist Party’s Politburo, the highest ruling body, consists of 25 members. Currently, only seven of them come from any background of wealth or power, the so-called princelings.
• China’s Communist Party may be one of the most meritocratic and upwardly mobile major political organizations in the world.

3. China’s restriction on freedom of expression stifles innovation:

• The Royal Society in London reports that China’s share of scientific research papers published in recognized international journals is10.2% in the period between 2004-2008, now just behind the United States.
• In 2008, China overtook France as the world’s number three in contemporary art auction revenues.

4. The Communist Party’s authoritarian rule leads to widespread corruption:

• By Transparency International’s 'cleanest countries' account, China (78) ranks higher than India (87), Philippines (134), Indonesia (110), Argentina (105) and many more, and tied with Greece (78), barely below Italy (67) — all electoral democracies.

5. China’s success to date is all due to the party’s embrace of capitalism and a market economy.

• According to the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal annual ranking of free economies, China ranks 135. What else has China done?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/opinion/19iht-edli19.html