Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Writer

The group fromk Jamaica that visited China courtesy of the Chinese Friendship Association in August.

China's rapid development has attracted world-wide attention in recent years. Various aspects of its expanding influence and military muscle, and its growing demand for energy supplies are being debated on the international scene.

In only 28 years, China's performance has been robust, improving the lives of some 1.3 billion inhabitants.

In 1978, China accounted for less than one per cent of the world economy, but after an explosive economic reformation, in less than three decades, the country accounted for four percent of the world economy.

Average annual growth of the economy is an astounding 9.4 per cent compared to Jamaica's meagre 1.4 per cent, and it has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign investment and more than a trillion dollars of domestic non-public investment.

But just how has this once economically-deprived country made so much progress in such a short time?

The Sunday Gleaner last week questioned some members of a team who made a trip to China about lessons from China to Jamaica. They were among 16 men and women who travelled in August on a trip organised by the Jamaica/China Friendship Association.

From this annual trip to the eastern gem, they have all come to see how ancient lessons have taught the Chinese to create modern wonders.

Here we focus on four areas of this society which hold lessons for Jamaica and the way forward.

China's leadership ... creating discipline, defining how people function

For Wendell Smith, assistant general manager in information technology and operations at the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), a society like China could not have been transformed so rapidly if it were not for strong leadership.

The sheer awesomeness of its cities are the result of thousands of years of civilisation and good governance.

"The modernisation of the cities is absolutely amazing. What I saw I never expected. High-rise buildings, modern highways, telecommunications right across the country. But I would say one of the greatest lessons comes from how they have achieved so much in so little time, and that shows that it is leadership that changes culture. That to me is the most striking thing about China," he recounted.

Through his eyes, leadership has dictated how the Chinese function and that leadership is what Jamaica needs to take it forward.

"Leadership creates discipline. It defines how our people function [but] we don't have that strong sense of change and commitment to change. That's why we don't have that level of development and transformation taking place," he said.

Agreeing with Mr. Smith, Sam Wong Chew Onn, a Jamaican of Chinese parentage, suggested that the people's faith in their leaders is one of the things that has also propelled China's progress.

He said there is very little trust of politicians here and that is a problem.

"Their principle is whatever the leader says we follow, until we find that he is wrong," he said. "It's capitalism with a Chinese cultural mix."

Law enforcement ... in China every law is enforced

Maybe it's due to the magnitude of the population, but in China, Wong Chew Onn explained, every law is enforced.

This is another problem Jamaica has been plagued with for years. There are many laws, but there are many that are not enforced. He said for every flouting of the law, there is a consequence and that keeps the society and even its leaders in check.