Democracy vs. Authoritarianism: The India-China Story
Ann Raymond As China continues its superb run as a global super power in the reckoning, comparisons between India and China, the two emerging forces to reckon with, are hard to resist. Since the introduction of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in 1978, China has become the world’s fastest growing economy, largest exporter, and second largest economy in terms of both nominal income and purchasing power parity. However, it’s not just mind boggling growth figures that China offers. In terms of social development indicators also, China is far ahead of India. Despite all these achievements, China has been and still remains a largely authoritarian state with heavy restrictions being imposed on several areas including the media, freedom of assembly, family planning and freedom of religion. India, on the other hand, takes pride in its democratic structure including its many political parties, free elections, uncensored media and freedom of speech among other features. India has the widest collectio...