New World Order - China

China

Population: 1.3 billion

Area: 9.6 million km²

GDP: $11 trillion

GDP (per capita): $8,400

Economic Growth: 8.2%

Democracy? No

When it comes to developing nations, China is one of the first to come to mind. It is the world’s largest county in terms of population and the second largest in terms of GDP, set to overtake the USA within half a century. The rise of China worries the West more than the rise of the other nation, China is not a democracy and it doesn’t look like it will become one anytime soon. For the last two hundred years the top country has always been a democracy, first Britain and then the United States. In international affairs China could become top dog in the not-so-distant future.

China certainly wields the most influence of the countries I am reviewing; it is the only one with veto power on the UN Security Council and already has the second largest economy. One thing China is doing, that I would advise the West to pay close attention to, is investing in Africa. China has recognised that Africa has big potential, the continent is full of resources and it has a booming population.

China’s disadvantage is this; it’s not a democracy. China is the only one of the five rising nations that I’ve mentioned that isn’t a democracy, and doesn’t claim to be a democracy. The problem this poses for China is that the enlarging middle class will start to demand a say in government. Once this begins growth in China will slow and the country could descend into violence. Although it is unlikely that China will descend into violence any time soon, it will have to happen eventually. The citizens of China can see many fully functioning, wealthy democracies in the world and they will begin to ask; why not us?

Yet the rise of China is not so certain, recent growth figures show China’s economy is beginning to slow. The problem is a drop in demand from its largest export market – Europe and poor demand domestically. Although China’s slower growth rate would be the envy of any Western nation, if China is to continue to expand rapidly it must maintain its impressive growth figures.

A Chinese City - the high rise skyscrapers are typical in modern China