Torch Passing A Bumpy Road
8 April 2008 Those who have been in the agrochemical industry for a few years can certainly see the parallel between the trends in the global pesticide industry and the events that right now surround the historic journey of the Olympic Torch as it travels from Greece to Beijing, site of the 2008 Summer Games.
And taking a step away from our industry, from a perch high above the global economy, the metaphor is no less pronounced: in many ways, the torch is being passed. But it is not going to happen smoothly. Already, production and formulation have in large part migrated to the East, and as China changes its own policies, the road has grown bumpier both at the origin and the destination.
In London, the Associated Press reports that 37 protesters concerned about human rights violations in China – particularly in terms of Tibet – were arrested as they attempted to take the torch away or to put out its light. Paris showed a similar scene: the torch was extinguished and placed on a bus on five separate occasions, and demonstrators climbed the iconic Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral to hang banners depicting the Olympic Rings as shackles.
In the U.S., where more such protests are already expected when the Torch comes to San Francisco, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton appealed to U.S. President George Bush to boycott the Olympic Games in light of clashes in Tibet and the lack of action in Sudan by China to stop the violence in Darfur. In France, the possibility of a boycott remains in play.
China responded that the actions of these protesters were misguided and represented only a minority Tibetan faction; that China views the Olympics as a time and place for freedom and fraternity among all nations.
While I do not consider myself informed enough on the situation in Tibet to comment on it — and in fact have very much enjoyed trips to China on behalf of the magazine — I do believe this: the historic economic climb of China has disrupted every industry on planet Earth, period. A change of this scale is certainly going to be unsettling to the world economy, and create moments of instability, confusion, and resistance the world over. Enough, perhaps, that members of any industry could see the torch about to leave their hands en route to China – and wish to stop it, to extinguish the flame before it becomes a conflagration.
To wit: once, four or five years ago, I attended a function held by a chemical company, and randomly met two men in the hotel lobby. One was there to attend a conference dealing with the testing of various products in near-vacuum conditions; the other was a dental technician who made bridges, false teeth, and the like. Three people, three immensely different industries, one major issue in each of the meetings we were attending: China. And it could have been two people from any other industry sitting there at the table; the conversation would be the same. The runner was on the move. The fire had started.
It is not something that will be put out. And the ag chem industry, like every industry, is adjusting. Because sooner or later, despite any amount of kicking and screaming, sign posting or protesting, the Torch will reach China. But it is not a one-way street. While the world has changed – and is still changing – dramatically, like the Olympics, it is still a global playing field.
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