Recently I have been hearing that China is going to be the next great country of the world. Some even think that China will become more powerful than the US within a short amount of time. Anyone think this is true?
I dunno, its economy is expanding at an amazing rate and its middle class will soon have enough purchasing power to match that of the US' middle class. However, the vast majority of the country is extremely poor and very underdeveloped. China isn't a prominent player in foreign affairs, and given its communist government, along with its human rights violations and lack of freedoms, severely hinder its chances at reaching superpower status.
But then for a long time the USSR managed to be a super power along side the U.S., so anything is possible...
And in a fashion the world has changed a bit military might is being usurped by economic/productive power, and by all accounts China is on the fast track to becoming an economic superpower...
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
Managed is the key word there. Then they imploded. When Communism and Capatilism go head to head the free peoples usually have an edge. I'm not trying to be arrogent and I think that anything is possible but you have to remember that history repeats itself.
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"Jesus also thought that non-believers should be stoned"------Alliance
True, true, but really China is Communist in name only, any resemblance to the real ideology, or even that of the USSR's form of communism is far closer to being cosmetic. But then who knows, if China does gain that coveted title of "Superpower" it is quite possible it will fall just like Russia did. But then that is, in the long run, the fate of all Superpowers, be it from Rome up to and one day in the distant future probably including the U.S and everything that follows.
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
Oh, you better believe it.
70 % of all building-cranes in the world are in China as we speak. I heard of economic growth like 25 %(?) a year!!
I was there last year, on a grand tour of China, and they are exploding. Communism? Hahahahahhaha… Sure, in name, but it’s more like the old imperial ways, with a strong central government – and China has had that for more than 2000 years. What we’re seeing there is more like state-capitalism than anything else. I think it was the prime-minister of China who in the late 80’s said to the Chinese people “If you’re with us, we’ll make you rich. If you’re against us, we’ll crush you.”
I’ve visited the states. There are very poor and underdeveloped areas in the US as well, especially in the South.
So what we view as human rights violations, a dictatorship-like government and lack of freedoms may be the very thing that makes it possible for China to overtake the West.
I’m not saying whether or not this is a good thing. I’ve merely noted that in Danish financial papers they are beginning to discuss the “threat from China”. This time not as a war, or an ideology – but the country’s economy.
I’ve seen Beijing and Shanghai 2004 – Especially the latter is the future.
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That's it exactly. Economy and culture is gradually replacing military might as the defining influence in the world, and China is well placed to exploit both.
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
I think southern provinces will be more important in the future, the exporting is much stronger in the south. However if there's a war between Taiwan and China the situation might change, but it's very unlikely there will be a war.
China's success of late is partly due to their willingness to overlook certain corruption problems in Africa in order to invest...the middle east and south america are already pretty much exploited to the hilt by america and Europe...in order to get a jump on them, China has overlooked such atrocities as those happening in Sudan in order to gain capital investment...it was with Chinese money that many of the Sudanese governments new embassys and other building were funded...the Chinese are also responsible for supplying the technology and manpower to build and operate Africa's first oil refinery
not to mention that some countries in the north west of Africa are covered in Chinese themed hotels as they were the first to invest in the post conflict sierra leone for example
so yes
China will most likely be the next big economic superpower
but dont mistake that for military superpower...which they already are....far more powerful than Russia...perhaps even more powerful than the Soviet Union was as a whole
Yeah China will be the next one, the US will fall like every other superpower then China will fall and another one will take over. If things continue like this there is a pretty good chance that the US will be more like Russia on the economic market in a few years time.
Some country's are being idiots however, the EU for instance wants to drop a few things that make it harder to trade with China. Which is now going threw India (who signed like a million treaty's with China) the US wants to stop Europe from doing it, can't really blame them China sucks for the US. Japan is ignoring China on a few things really big mistake something that they really shouldn't do. I guess that will all change soon enough though, in a few years time China will be the biggest power in the world.
Perhaps, but then the question isn't what will happen if it becomes a superpower, but "will" it become one. And there is no evidence to believe it wont. After all, the negative aspects of the USSR didn't stop it from becoming one, so there is no reason to believe that things like humanitarian issues would stand in the way of China becoming one, nor it's so called Communist status. Indeed many nations through out history have subscribed to the "might makes right" ideal.
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
Communist in name only, that ideology has been radically altered by China. After all, one of their most dominant features is their economy, not something usually associated with a true Communist nation (not that any really existed)
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
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Jul 8th, 2005 09:26 PM
