The rise of China

[bambbbam]

It's amazing to see a world in transformation.

Graphic from this weeks New York Times

[gordon_s1942]

If China had more arable land for agriculture and was able to reduce the manpower needed to feed the 1.3 BILLION population and that manpower was diverted into manufacture and the ideology of the Chinese Govt continues to look more at Western ways of doing business and commerce, it will take the rest of the world to balance out China's abilities.
I am not suggesting China would become an aggressor but if you hold the purse strings and all that manufacturing capacity, It wont be long before the Chinese word for 'Jump' becomes known around the world and the reply, also in Chinese of 'How High' !!

China has been a continuous society for over 4000 years and excepting for an occasional hiccup remains as united now as it has been for centuries.
It was said that China was a 'Sleeping Dragon' and not to be awakened but I wonder if rather than sleeping, it is simply napping.

[BlackDuck]

The world is becoming a more interesting and precarious place to live.

China is doing what Japan did, and taking the best of western technology then applying it in China's interest, which is why China has such a long history as a society.

For the Chinese, the land is China, they are of China, and for China always.

New world empires rise and fall but China is eternal.

[bulbous]

What does China do with 'leaky boats' ?

[BlackDuck]

What does China do with 'leaky boats' ?

Sell them to Afghanistan, Sri Lanka or Indonesia?

[sladehk]

and the way the u s 's foreign debt is going... china RMB might replace USD as the global currency

[gordon_s1942]

At this time I would think the Euro has a better chance of being the worlds currency IF it is backed by Middle East Oil nations.
I dont believe China would really vie for the chance to be currency leader even though ideologically they oppose the West (US) but there are some nations who would like to see the US dollar topple almost to the point of going down themselves.

[intelliGEORGE]

At this time I would think the Euro has a better chance of being the worlds currency IF it is backed by Middle East Oil nations.

That's just it, the primates of the middle east are so fkn wound up in centuries old conflict. If they combined all their brains, then maybe they would be smart enought to realise that they have the world by the balls, but they won't. So until there is peace in the middle east, maybe then we will see a change in the currency of choice, but at the moment it's still weapons for oil.

[Godzilla]

Did someone say peace in the middle east?

Can someone tell me what that means, is it like having sex and keeping your virginity?

War in the middle east is good for the weapons traders and the Bush families investments.

China is going to be the worlds economic superpower, and the US....well every empire collapses eventually.

[BlackDuck]

~China is going to be the worlds economic superpower, and the US....well every empire collapses eventually.

And every country on Earth is beating a path to China's door to supply Technology and raw materials.

Especially the US and Europe and Australia.

The capitalist Tigers feeding the Chinese dragon.

[bucket]

I'm tentatively pretty cool with china becoming the next world super power, most I've met have been a fair bit more respectful and modest than the average jo...certainly more than the average GI Jo. Not Yank bashing but the outcry over Barack bowing to the Emporer recently is one example...Not about America bowing to no one, just about showing a bit of respect to the head honcho who's house your in. I'm a republican, but would still bow to the Queen, s'called good manners.

There's still a billion Indians to keep the balance of MAD.

The only thing I keep thinking is I would hate to be the Japanese right about now.

[gordon_s1942]

bucket, too many of us forget about showing respect to who evers house we're in.

Thats a damn good observation.

[Godzilla]

The only thing I keep thinking is I would hate to be the Japanese right about now.

I was talking with some Japanese company reps last week, nice guys, very respectful, the company i work for has done business with them for the last 25 years or so.

They are now on their knees begging for business, things are not good economicaly in Japan right now, China and the global crisis has seriously hurt them.

The director of the Jap company who use to travel to Scotland for golf with his mates regularly while his managers ran the plant now sits all day amongst his sales reps whipping their butts. LOL

Prices of Jap goods have come down hard now to keep companies producing and workers employed, im going over there next May/June for a month to see whats happened and pick up some bargains for the mob i work for.

[bucket]

bucket, too many of us forget about showing respect to who evers house we're in.

Thats a damn good observation.

Was the same deal when Keating gave the Queen a reach around when she came here. On the Poms side with that one....not technically her house, but etiquette said it was, and at the very least, show some respect for the old bird.

Good old fashioned manners will come back, at leat in my house, saw a fairly young bloke clip his son over the back of the head the other day for not taking his cap off when he walked into a shop. Certainly made me smile up.

[Ramjet]

Prices of Jap goods have come down hard now to keep companies producing and workers employed, im going over there next May/June for a month to see whats happened and pick up some bargains for the mob i work for.

Will be seeing a jump in horsepower from the GTR after that trip I bet...

[Arbiter]

I'm not the religious bible-bashing type, but the US demise is predicted (if you can read between all the meaningless crap) and pickup on the gist of it.
Geez I'm so happy our bi-lingual PM can speak the chinese lingo - but so could C3PO (and 5000 other dialects).
How do you say "Sorry, should I swallow?" in Mandarin?

[iwacelect]

The only thing I keep thinking is I would hate to be the Japanese right about now.

I can see where your coming from for the japanese, backed by the yanks and now the yank dollar bowing to the might of chinese, AND the japanese are not doing too much business nowdays..

BUT

how bout the taiwanese, sheesh chinas already demonstrated it wants the place and already call it thier "lost state" or something, i dont think i'll be moving thier anytime soon.

[Don Benosee]

How do you say "Sorry, should I swallow?" in Mandarin?

Why, planning an overseas trip?