Can China really compete with USA?

[UCLAri]

<p>

China has a labor situation quite different than other countries.

</p>

<p>Actually…no. China’s just another labor abundant country (e.g. factor abundant.)</p>

<p>What people keep ignoring throughout this debate are the problems facing the Chinese economy. Non-performing loans, crony capitalism, a huge chasm between rich and poor, isolated development, and problems with intellectual property rights.</p>

<p>It’s not like China’s future as the next superpower is a done deal, folks. It has an uphill battle ahead of it.</p>

[nbachris2788]

<p>

we don’t use slaves now or practice child labor. Should we condone such acts in other countries?

</p>

<p>In other words, change the rules once you get ahead of the game.</p>

<p>

The West has won the culture war, my friend. Whether or not China or the other rapidly industrializing countries ever surpass the dirty, cruel white devil nations - they’re going to do so using Western ideas and a western-derived military. You can be sure we won’t sit back and let them, though. Enjoy your global conflict.

</p>

<p>Yes, I’m sure the Muslims in the 9th century thought they won the “culture war” as well. Or the Chinese and Egyptians thousands of years ago. </p>

<p>And never confuse “Western” with “white”. Many “white” countries are not historically Western at all, like Russia (see my other thread). </p>

<p>

You might like the idea of a risen China as the dominant world power. I don’t, becuase I tend to dislike totalitarian societies. I’m kind of an individualist. Maybe you enjoy censorship?

</p>

<p>I don’t want a Soviet Union redux either. But what about India? They have democracy, although they still need to work out the kinks. Dark-skinned peoples are not naturally averse to democracy: Germany had to be forced to accept demoracy at gunpoint, and even America’s still working under a heavily flawed system. What if India became a formidable AND democratic world power? Is that acceptable to your Eurocentric fantasies?</p>

[UCLAri]

<p>nbachris2788,</p>

<p>Actually, for a country of its size, the US has a remarkably successful democracy. I don’t know that I would really call it “heavily flawed” at all.</p>

<p>Oh, and Germany had flirted with democratic tendencies long before the Allied Occupation. </p>

<p>I don’t think that “dark-skinned” peoples are naturally averse to democracy, but I think that China has had many problems with adopting more free and transparent government than India has. While India has tried, at least nominally, to maintain a working republic, the CCP has done its best to stifle most forms of democracy in the PRC. And for good reason, too. The CCP knows that democracy almost certainly spells the end of its rule.</p>

[Sinnic]

<p>No, my Eurocentric fantasies usually involve a couple of comely german lasses, a suite in an Alpine resort and about 3 or 4 gallons of melted swiss chocolate. But yours was a good guess.</p>

[Mr_Payne]

<p>

Europeans, backwards in their ways compared to the Eastern peoples until about the 16th century, forged their new world order out of colonies fueled by slavery, violence, deceit, and oppression. And now that they’re ahead of the game, they want to change the rules and make sure that any newcomer, particular of non-Western origin, “plays by the rules”. **** that ****. If you’re that concerned about pollution, then use all the blood money you Europeans have acquired through 500 years of criminal (retroactively speaking, of course) activity and let the Brazils, Indias, and Chinas pollute and kill their way to the top, just like you did centuries ago.

The vast majority of Western progress in relation to other nations occurred from 1800-1975. And hardly any of the gains were from violence, oppression, slavery or anything like that.</p>

[UCLAri]

<p>Well, that’s arguable. Much of the economic growth of the pre-WW I period was driven by the “banana republic” model of mercantilism, which undoubtedly put Latin American countries (and others) into far worse positions relative to the Europeans and North Americans.</p>

<p>I’d say that the largest period of “sin free” economic growth has been in the past 10-20 years or so, when the Western nations (and Japan) have made at least passing attempts at being “fair” to their developing counterparts.</p>