Are Chinese people thankful to the West for the investment that has taken 500 million Chinese out of poverty and allowed China to become a superpower?

西方国家的投资让5亿中国人脱贫，让中国成为超级大国，对此，中国人民是否心怀感恩？

以下是Quora网友的评论：

Andreas Mihardja

PhD from Georg-August University of Göttingen (Graduated 1969)Author has 1K answers and 1.4M answer viewsUpdated 4y

I have been working with development aids and investment from outside [FDI]- so I think I know something about it.

To developed a country from nothing [this was China in 1950] into a something [China in 2018] like today - a lot of investment is needed. Look at the data over the years. In 1962 China is so poor, that it is almost nothing, a real third world country.

我一直跟发展援助和境外投资打交道，所以我觉得我可以说上两句。

要把一个国家从一穷二白(1950年的中国)发展到今天的模样(2018年的中国)，需要大量的投资。看看这些年来的数据吧。1962年的中国穷得叮当响，是货真价实的第三世界国家。

GDP in China averaged 1790.50 USD Billion from 1960 until 2016, reaching an all time high of 11199.15 USD Billion in 2016 and a record low of 47.21 USD Billion in 1962.

Does anybody believe that China receive >10,400 billion US $ from foreign investments in the 55 years? Foreign aid /loan or foreign investment from any Western Nation to any third world country will be below 1 billion US $ in total per event. The world Bank could only effort tp loan around .5 billion max.

从1960年到2016年，中国的GDP平均值为17905亿美元，2016年达到历史最高的111991.5亿美元，1962年则是历史最低的472.1亿美元。

你们相信中国在55年间吸纳了超过104000亿美元的境外投资吗？西方国家对第三世界国家的外国援助、贷款或外国投资，每笔金额不会高于10亿美元。世界银行最多也只能提供大约25亿美元的贷款。

What China receive was seed capital from their oversees Chinese communities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Canada etc. During the co unist take over capital was leaving China, during Deng this is flowing back to China. These seed capital were invested in good basic products for the development of the country like infra structure and food production. As soon as the basic production pillars were created and the investment atmosphere of the country become favorable for foreign investment [FDI] - China open its doors for the outside world. Real development in China started around the Millennium change. During this time foreign investment started to enter.

中国大陆从香港特区、台湾省、澳大利亚、加拿大等地的华人社区那里拿到了原始资本。资本一度离开中国，后来资本又回流中国。这些原始资本投资于基础设施和粮食生产等国家发展所需的优质基础产业。基础制造业支柱搭建起来后，中国的投资环境开始吸引外国投资，中国开始向世界敞开了国门。中国真正的发展始于千禧年前后。外国投资那个时候才开始进入中国。

Nathan James

Geopolitical pundit and blogger.Author has 8K answers and 24.5M answer viewsSep 3

The West invested in China because there was money to be made. It wasn’t charity.

China benefitted. The West benefitted. It was a win-win situation. There’s no need for gratitude.

The same thing applies to many other develo countries like Brazil, Russia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. Should they all be grateful for a globalized economy where everybody invests in everybody else?

The questioner reveals their bigotry and naivete with regards to China.

西方国家在中国投资，是因为有利可图，他们并不是在做慈善。

中国从中受益了。西方国家也从中受益了。这是双赢，中国人没有必要感恩戴德。

巴西、俄罗斯、印度、泰国、越南、印度尼西亚等许多发展中国家也都如此。在全球化经济背景下，国家与国家之间互相投资，难道大家都要感恩戴德吗？

问题涉及到中国，题主简直太偏执也太天真了。

Ted Chyn

Former IT Data Consultant for Various Industries.Author has 1.3K answers and 322.1K answer viewsUpdated Sep 4

The West invests in China to make money. With a good return, China has been paying back billions in earnings to companies such as Apple, Starbucks, Amway, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, etc. Investment goes both ways because Chinese companies also invest billions in the US which had benefiting the US economy as well. In business, no one owes the other side anything because in an arms-length transaction both sides profit. China becomes a rising power not because of the charity from the west but out of its own merits of hard-working, doing the right thing for most of its citizens, and choosing not to meddle and exploit other countries’ businesses for political purposes.

西方国家在中国投资只是为了赚钱。因为投资回报高，苹果、星巴克、安利、德州仪器、高通等公司早就获取了数十亿美元的利润。投资是双向的，因为中国企业也在美国投资了数十亿美元，美国经济同样因此受益。商场中谁也不欠谁的，交易中双方都可从中获利。中国成为一个正在崛起的大国，靠的不是西方国家的施舍，靠的是中国自己的优势：吃苦耐劳，一心为民，不干涉其他国家的事务。

Sara Niu

bachelors in Computer Science, University of Toronto (Graduated 2017)Sep 4

You mean thankful for the sweatshops and factory fumes? The 50 cent per hour backbreaking labour that allowed your capitalists to become obscenely, incomprehensibly, and mindblowingly rich while you common folks lose your low-level jobs?

The Chinese nation is going to need another mortal lifetime to recover from the sheer amount of environmental damages from being the worlds factory, but, where there is give, there is a take. China is now so enmeshed into the worlds economy that it can no longer be sanctioned. Anyways, the point is, it wasn't exactly charity work you were doing now was it?

There are some things to be thankful for, some investments certainly helped to some degree, a few even done out of good will, but taking all things into consideration, asking a nation you've exploited to thank you is highly inappropriate, to say the least.

你的意思是要向血汗工厂和工厂废气感恩吗？中国工人拿着每小时50美分的微薄薪水，干着繁重的体力工作，把你们的资本家养得富得流油穷奢极欲，而你们普通人却连低级工作也保不住？

作为世界工厂，中国需要几十年的时间才能从严重的环境破坏中恢复，但是，有付出，就有收获。中国现在已经和世界经济紧密地融合在一起了，不会再受到制裁。而且最重要的一点在于，你们当初也并不是做慈善，对吧?

有些事情是值得感谢的，有些境外投资肯定多少帮助了中国，其中还有少数投资是出于善意，但总的来说，让一个被剥削的国家还要感恩戴德，实属不妥。

Anonymous

5y

Only if the west is thankful to the east. If you followed the factual history, then you'd know that it was the wealth that was looted from the east that helped the barbaric poor people of the west to become so “advanced” and “developed”. Anyways, it was not like the west did China some sort of favour by giving away the money. West needed to move its “pollution” and it also wanted to exploit the “cheap Labour” to make humongous profit. So yes, be thankful to us as we made your corporates to mint money.

除非西方国家先感谢感谢东方国家。纵观历史，你就会知道，正是西方国家从东方掠夺的财富，让西方的野蛮贫民摇身一变，变得所谓“高级”“先进”。不管怎样，西方投资中国并不是在帮中国什么忙。西方需要转移“工业污染”，也想利用“廉价劳动力”来赚取更大的利润。所以，来吧，好好感谢感谢我们，感谢我们让你们的公司赚了大钱。

Robin Daverman

FoodieAuthor has 2.3K answers and 39.9M answer views5y

Well, first, the Chinese should thank the Chinese people, because their own productivity far outstrips FDI. Even during the early times when China was very poor, just opening up, FDI was never more than 6.5% of its GDP, and trending down from there all the way. So obviously China should thank herself about, eh, 15 to 25 times more than to all foreign investors.

首先，中国人应该感谢中国人自己，因为中国人的生产力远远超过外国直接投资。即使是在新中国一穷二白的时候，刚刚改革开放的时候，外国直接投资也从未超过中国GDP的6.5%，并且外国投资的占比一直呈下降趋势。所以很显然，中国应该狠狠感谢自己，比感谢外国投资者多感谢15、25次都不为过。

Secondly, China should thank overseas ethnic Chinese about 20 times more than Westerners, because it turned out that the vast majority of “foreign investors to China” are other ethnic Chinese.

其次，比起感谢西方人，中国应该更感谢海外华人20倍，因为事实证明，绝大多数“来华外国投资者”都是华裔。

Wow, look at that, US accounted for 3%, and UK 1%. Wonderful!

So let’s see, hmm, 1% of 5% of China’s total GDP… 0.05%? OK. Thank you so much, dear West!!

Thirdly, now, China invests as much into foreign countries as foreign countries invest into China. In fact, China now invests more into Western Countries than vice versa. So maybe the West is now thankful to China for her investment?

哇，看看这个，美国只占3%，英国只占1%。真是“多”呢！

所以让我想想啊，嗯，中国GDP的5%的1%…那就是0.05%？真不错呢。感谢感谢，亲爱的西人们!!

第三，如今中国对外国的投资规模和外国对中国的投资已经不相上下了。事实上，中国现在对西方国家的投资规模比西方国家对中国的投资更大了。所以现在不如让西方国家也感谢感谢中国的投资吧？

Jokes aside, China is thankful, and she’s ho that this appreciation is mutual. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right? I mean, she is kinda ho that the Westerners would show more love for the Chinese investment than they are showing right now…

玩笑归玩笑，中国对帮助过她的人心怀感恩，中国也希望这种感谢是相互的。我的意思是，中国大概希望西方人能对中国投资的态度能更好些…

William Wang

M.E. from Chongqing University (重庆大学)Updated 4y

1.     it's business thing, not charity.

2.     now,China invest more into western countries,did westerns be thankful to China?just search on quora,there are so many questions like this:is China colonizing Africa?is China colonizing pakistan?is China colonizing Australia?is China colonizing Asia?

3.     the west invest China and we Chinese should thank them that allowed us become a superpower;while China invest other countries like Africa,pakistan to reach a win-win result,it becomes colonize.LOL

1.     这是生意场上的事，不是做慈善。

2.     现在中国对西方国家的投资也越来越多，西方人会感激中国吗？在quora上搜一搜，类似这样的问题数不胜数：中国正在殖民非洲吗？中国正在殖民巴基斯坦吗？中国在殖民澳大利亚吗？中国在殖民亚洲吗？

3.     西方投资中国，我们中国人就应该感谢他们，是他们让我们成为超级大国；而中国投资非洲、巴基斯坦，本来是件双赢的事，结果在西方人眼中，中国是在搞殖民。哈哈

Coby Ma

Strategy and Management ConsultantAuthor has 183 answers and 1.1M answer views5y

Interesting question, but the short answer is no.

If you meant should they be grateful or thankful? The answer is still no.

Investment is a business decision, it was made to maxmize profit. Should the investors be grateful and thankful that they made money by investing in China?

Also, ironically, money itself does not lift people out of poverty and cannot allow anyone to become a super power. Throwing money at problems, including the problem of no money, does not solve the problem at all. It is the chinese, Chinese private sector, and every Chinese worked hard to lift themselves out of poverty and started to accumulate wealth.

The West also invested and gave money to other parts of the word, not very successful.

这个问题挺妙，但我的答案就1个字：不。

也许你的意思是他们该不该感激？我的答案还是1个字：不。

投资是一项商业决策，是为了追逐利润最大化。投资者该不该感谢中国让他们通过投资赚到了钱呢？

而且，很讽刺的是，钱本身并不能让人们摆脱贫困，也不能让一个国家成为超级大国。用钱解决问题，包括缺钱的问题，其实并不能解决问题。真正发挥作用的是政府、中国私营企业和全体中国人的辛勤奋斗，让他们自己摆脱乐贫困，慢慢积累起了财富。

西方国家也向地球上的其他地区进行过投资，提供过资金，但并没怎么赚到钱。

Long Calvin

Lives in Los AngelesAuthor has 102 answers and 30K answer viewsSep 5

This is like asking if my neighbor is thankful to me for his getting into Harvard, because I let him copy my Algebra homework so he can concentrate on his other subjects.

Methinks your question is a perfect example of the use of the literary device called hyperbole.

这个问题就好比去问我的邻居，他有没有因为我让他抄代数作业，让他得以专心学习其他科目而感谢我。

我觉得你的问题简直就是文学作品中夸张手法的完美运用。

Steven Lee (李揚靈)

Lived in ChinaAuthor has 1K answers and 2.3M answer viewsUpdated 5y

Not really.

The purpose of western enterprises’ investment is not to do charity, but to purse a profit, and also the investment from westerner enterprises don’t automatically help millions of Chinese out of poverty and make China a superpower, they are not directly linked.

Having said that, my conclusion is there is really nothing to be thankful.

并没有。

西方企业来华投资的目的并不是做慈善，而是为了获取高额利润，而且西方企业的投资并不会自动帮助数百万中国人摆脱贫困，也不会让中国成为超级大国，这些事情之间并没有直接联系。

话虽如此，要我说的话，真的没有什么值得感谢的。

Mason Luo

B.S. in Civil Engineering & History, Lehigh University (Graduated 2017)4y

Well, is the west thankful to the Chinese people for the market opportunities and global economic engine that take the world out of 2008 economic crisis?

Trade is mutually beneficial. That is why it’s called trade. The west did not give us free money.

呃，西方人是否感谢中国人提供的市场机遇？是否感谢中国这台全球经济引擎，带领世界走出了2008年经济危机的阴霾？

交易、买卖是互惠互利的。不然为什么会被称为交易？西方可从没白给我们送过钱呢。

Ker Zheng

Former Marketing at SF Express (2017–2018)4y

I would argue that much of the early investment came from overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, etc. and even Japan. According to a study by the World Bank, in the period from 1983-95 Hong Kong accounted for some 59 percent of accumulated FDI in China. Taiwan, the United States, and Japan each accounted for roughly eight percent; Western Europe was the source of less than five percent.

据我所知，早年间的海外来华投资多数来自于东南亚、香港、甚至日本等地的海外华人。根据世界银行的一项研究，1983年至1995年期间，源自香港的来华投资约占中国累计境外投资的59%。台湾地区、美国和日本各占约8%；而西欧所占的比例不足5%。