Beeson's bizarre comparison of China with Japan's military past

Comments on Mark Beeson "What China did and should learn from Japan", 30/01/2016

This article, though probably good in economics, is unfortunately overblown in terms of comparing China’s current military stance, or even its or approach in the South China Sea or East China Sea, with that of Imperial Japan in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Japan was then a militarised country, expansionary and aggressor, invaded quite a number of countries in Asia.

It is hard to understand the author could get the comparison so wrong. Even in economic and developmental aspects, it is doubtful that the China model is similar to the Japan model.

In terms of development stage, China is now far from the stage of 1990 Japan. As a result, there is still a long way for China to go to ‘exhaust’ the role of state in maintain rapid growth, if the argument of the different roles of state (institution reforms) needs to evolve.

PS: That piece by Beenson, shows some economists may get very strange perspective when they apply their economics knowledge to something new to them, even though I am an economist too.