Young Global Leaders

The Kind of Young Leader I Want to Be ... and China Needs

If we were each to give our definition of a leader, many different answers would be given. A leader can be one who leads others, or someone in charge of a political party or an organization. A leader can be someone of political influence, or someone who can influence or change another person’s mind.

Indeed, given the wide number of definitions, it’s clear that we have many so-called leaders around us. But if you ask me who I would vote for to be a qualified young leader, my requirements would be very simple. I would only vote for those who care about society, who can take on and meet social responsibilities. As for those who are successful in their own field, I would simply call them successful people – not leaders.

As cited in countless articles, China is growing rapidly and is undergoing a period of great transition. No longer can anyone doubt the impact of the country, be it economically, politically or culturally. Asking an American to spend one day without a “Made in China” product might prove disastrous, or at least seriously uncomfortable.

But those of us who live and work in China every day should not only see the rapid and exciting development of our country, but also the problems and challenges the country is facing. The widening gap between rich and poor, increasing environmental degradation and the critical necessity of a robust rule of law are just a few examples, all of which will have an impact on China’s sustainable development and its future.

Given this as a backdrop, what kind of responsibilities do young Chinese leaders have? Of paramount importance is fulfilling our responsibility to care about our society and help build civil society in China. We should lead by example and not only be good citizens ourselves, but persuade others to be as well.

Indeed, a young leader in China has a lot of things to do. He or she must not be short-sighted but possess a long-term vision. In addition, young leaders in China must keep the environmental issue at the forefront, particularly as an environmental crisis could limit future growth.

Recent incidents like the Taihu water pollution issue and the PX project in Xiamen came and went without a single outcry from the young Chinese elite (or otherwise). No one stood up and spoke out for the public interest. No one told government and the public that we should not sacrifice our environment for the sake of GDP growth. While a few grassroots activists and some media did speak out, the young elite in China were silent.

The Shangxi illegal brick kiln affair is another example. Who spoke for the poor and the powerless? Who pushed the government to investigate the case? Not the young Chinese elite, but the grassroots activists and the media … yet again. I recently spoke to a young lawyer who is offering the workers involved free legal services to sue the factory owner. He is certainly not considered to be “elite” in China because he is neither famous nor rich, nor does he have any outstanding achievement. But to me, he is the personification of the type of young leader we need today in China.

The young elite in China who read this piece might respond by saying that they care about more important, systemic and macro-level issues, and don’t have the time to get bogged down in the micro level. Yet if people lack the understanding of the basic levels of society and are completely out of touch with the concerns and urgent needs of the people, their macro concerns are but an empty gong.

As a journalist in China, I face these issues every day. I know what I can do is limited, but I also know this cannot be an excuse to do nothing. My colleagues and I are trying to do something that can make society change, even if that change is only very minor. We hope our country can be developed steadily and that these small changes will accumulate.

Being named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum was something of a puzzle for me. Even now I don’t fully understand why I earned this distinction. I only hope this is not only a name given to me, but that it also brings me some responsibility as well. In response, I recently set up a website in China with some of my friends. We hope not only to promote the idea of “citizen journalists” in China, but also give people a platform to deliver more information to Chinese young people. We will try our best to encourage people to use multiple modes of thinking and to ask prescient and critical questions. We care deeply about social equity, justice and our environment, and will try to raise awareness of these issues and make people focus on them. We believe these are the urgent issues in China that we must face and resolve. In fact, facing and resolving them is the only way forward and their resolution will be the ultimate test of our leadership.

As one of the Young Global Leaders, it is my hope that more and more leaders will join us and become involved in the process of building civil society in China. We can use our influence, our fortunes and our power together to do something for the sustainable development of China. If we do, we may even earn the honour of being called leaders.