America meets the new superpower: China

[katty]

cont'd: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article358568.ece

America meets the new superpower
The visit of President Hu to Washington underlines the inevitable loss of America's economic supremacy to China

By Clifford Coonan in Beijing

Published: 19 April 2006
When President Hu Jintao of China shakes hands with President George Bush in Washington tomorrow and gives one of his fixed grins for photographers, it will not be just another meeting between the leader of a large developing country and the chief executive of the richest nation on earth.

China is rising fast and is expected to eclipse the United States economically in the future - its gross domestic product is tipped to overtake that of America by 2045.

While Mr Bush has only given Mr Hu an hour of his time for a state lunch, the global balance of power is changing and in future meetings, the Chinese will set the timetable.

The rise of China is posing awkward questions for the US, along with the realisation that its days as the world's economic superpower are numbered.

Some analysts see America entering a period of "managed decline" not unlike that which Britain has experienced since the end of the Second World War and the end of empire.

Since the Chinese economy began to open up a quarter of a century ago, there are 400 million fewer desperately poor people in China. Now Beijing wants the remarkable domestic growth story to count for something in global terms. China has already overtaken Britain and France to become the world's fourth largest economy and Mr Hu's visit to Washington represents a culture clash on a global scale. China, the emerging Asian superpower, is ruled with an iron fist by the Communist Party, which has transformed a once centrally planned economy into a free market one, "socialist with Chinese characteristics".

What China repeatedly calls its "peaceful rise" represents a major challenge for the US economy, for its political position and for its role as global policeman.

China, with its endless supply of goods and its thirst for energy, has contributed more to global growth than America in recent years, and Beijing is well aware of this.

[DELUSIONAL]

1. Good article -- I posted it yesterday

I think those of us who keep up with International events/politics know that America's time has come and gone.

Mike Malloy said last night that this was China's century -- and that they have seen idiots come and go and bush is just another idiot.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=961667&mesg_id=961667

Perhaps it will stay longer in the Editorials --

Washington State is very aware of the Pacific Rim nations -- and I'd say that we are more in-tune to Asia than to Washington DC. We sort of get testy when people on the East Coast just assume when we say Washington we mean DC. I usually ask when an east coaster says "Washington" -- is that DC or state?

[katty]

2. it is a good one-concur w/Mike, I'm in CA and

there is definitely more awareness of Pacific Rim, China, the sleeping dragon has awakened and won't be held back. Yesterday, I read/posted a Newsweek article (I don't read News"speak" to often)entitled: "War of the Wills", it was actually very informative on China's burgeoning status as a geopolitical player-indeed, their time has come. They must enjoy the attention and the undercurrent msg to WH hawks: you get more with honey, boys...than vinegar.