China 2050

[Oyipggy]

They don't have the same ability to project power though, and their economy is irrevocably intertwined with the West's.

Bingo. I believe here in the USA we owe them so much money, or buy so much from them that their currency only has value if ours does. It was something along those lines. That means that they cannot call in those debts just yet, as our economy would go kafitz, and theirs would too.

I'm picking India to dominate. Once their smart people go back home and start fixing their problems that country will be all set.

 

[Night Ninja]

Yeah, problem is that smart people don't like picking **** out of a river.

 

[War_B*stard]

China is already very close to being the largest superpower, since they have plenty of nukes to play with, a massive (and surprisingly nationalistic) population, a decent stockpile of conventional weapons, and a half decent infrastructure for mobilization. They're big enough to scare the spineless UN forces (just like the US is), so I'd say they're pretty up there on the power scale.

They have a good few nukes to chuck around if they so wish, but by estimates they have less than France. In that respect they're still small fry. As for the massive population of China, this really seems to be more of a hindrance (in the long run) than anything. That they are sometimes embarrassingly nationalistic really only highlights the insecurity felt by people. Much is made of the former glory, seemingly in an attempt to hide the inadequacies of the present. And the armed forces of the PRC, whilst improving, is still a creaking hulk of a thing. It struggles with endemic corruption just as much as any other department of the central government.

As others have pointed out, there are many conditions that need to be met for China to rise to anything even approaching the U.S as is. I don't think 40 years is enough. China (read: the administration) will probably grow richer etc. but I think what marks the USA out from other potential superpowers is the quality of life it offers its citizens. In that respect I doubt China will ever be able to emulate America's success.

Edit: Of course these are all merely the uniformed ramblings of a petit bourgeois. All hail the great helmsman and party as they steer the nation to prosperity! etc. etc.

 

[I AM HOBO OF DOOM]

Ill beleive it when i see it dont really care either way thou

 

[CJ1145]

China is already very close to being the largest superpower, since they have plenty of nukes to play with, a massive (and surprisingly nationalistic) population, a decent stockpile of conventional weapons, and a half decent infrastructure for mobilization. They're big enough to scare the spineless UN forces (just like the US is), so I'd say they're pretty up there on the power scale.

They have a good few nukes to chuck around if they so wish, but by estimates they have less than France. In that respect they're still small fry. As for the massive population of China, this really seems to be more of a hindrance (in the long run) than anything. That they are sometimes embarrassingly nationalistic really only highlights the insecurity felt by people. Much is made of the former glory, seemingly in an attempt to hide the inadequacies of the present. And the armed forces of the PRC, whilst improving, is still a creaking hulk of a thing. It struggles with endemic corruption just as much as any other department of the central government.

As others have pointed out, there are many conditions that need to be met for China to rise to anything even approaching the U.S as is. I don't think 40 years is enough. China (read: the administration) will probably grow richer etc. but I think what marks the USA out from other potential superpowers is the quality of life it offers its citizens. In that respect I doubt China will ever be able to emulate America's success.

Edit: Of course these are all merely the uniformed ramblings of a petit bourgeois. All hail the great helmsman and party as they steer the nation to prosperity! etc. etc.

So what you're saying is that all this time, the Chinese have basically been desperately shouting "Our glorious Communist cock is bigger than your greedy Capitalist cock"?

 

[Oyipggy]

So what you're saying is that all this time, the Chinese have basically been desperately shouting "Our glorious Communist cock is bigger than your greedy Capitalist cock"?

But...they're Asian.

And who is this mystical Pillock?

 

[CJ1145]

CJ.

 

[Oyipggy]

What do you know, having the same avatar and signature does make you the same person. I had guessed as much.

 

[Lord Burgess1]

Did you ask for it Pillock, because I got a custom title which was unexpected.

 

[CJ1145]

I asked, though if you know what Pillock means you probably wouldn't have guessed.

 

[Lord Burgess1]

Yes, I am British, you pillock.

 

[CryoNomad]

China relies on the West for it's money, if they started a War with us, they would run out a moneyz.

It's too bad the West owes China a **** ton of money.

 

[DerPrinz]

Even if China decided that they had enough of us decadent capitalist pigs, they would lose a large market for cheap plastic toys, and though they have the largest military in terms of troop numbers, they have a small navy, and since we are located across the Pacific from each other, that would be a serious problem.

 

[War_B*stard]

So what you're saying is that all this time, the Chinese have basically been desperately shouting "Our glorious Communist cock is bigger than your greedy Capitalist cock"?

What? No, really what I am saying is, that I think people tend to overstate the case for China rapidly turning in to a power that will be able to rival that of the US any time soon. No cocks.

 

[Magorian Aximand]

Really, the largest issue is that WalMart is China's largest trading partner, and WalMart is dependent on America's economy. It's in China's best interest to keep us afloat.

 

[CJ1145]

So what you're saying is that all this time, the Chinese have basically been desperately shouting "Our glorious Communist cock is bigger than your greedy Capitalist cock"?

What? No, really what I am saying is, that I think people tend to overstate the case for China rapidly turning in to a power that will be able to rival that of the US any time soon. No cocks.

This is TaleWorlds. Every conversation has cocks involved, whether you know it or not.

 

[Oyipggy]

China relies on the West for it's money, if they started a War with us, they would run out a moneyz.

It's too bad the West owes China a **** ton of money.

It's a cyclical relationship. Countries (America.) do owe them a lot. But we spend so much on their stuff that it's actually in their best interests to make sure our economy is keeping it's head above water, hence why they gave us the loans in the first place.

 

[Almalexia]

Even if China decided that they had enough of us decadent capitalist pigs, they would lose a large market for cheap plastic toys, and though they have the largest military in terms of troop numbers, they have a small navy, and since we are located across the Pacific from each other, that would be a serious problem.

They do have those carrier-killer missiles now, though. And if they were to go to war with us, it wouldn't be to expand into North America. It would likely just be to expand it's own influence in East Asia.

... Like Japan in the 1930's.

 

[EdwardWellcraft]

I like that people called China communist.  Authoritarian maybe, but not communist. There are private businesses in China and I think that actually constitutes the majority of business. Only some major industries are still government controlled (energy, notably.)

Anyways, I don't think China will ever quite rival the U.S., except for the fact that ht U.S. is losing influence. In other words China will never quite be what the U.S. was at it's peak or Great Britain was at it's peak. As the country grows the people are going to want a better standard of living. Wages will increase, outsourcing to China will decrease as those wages decrease, and thus China will lose a lot of what is giving it this massive growth spurt it is experiencing. The same is true for India, really. Both of these countries have yet to experience the kind of gentrification that the U.S. experienced after WWII. As individual wealth increases in China and India they'll see a reduction in manufacturing potential.

I'd think, though this is just wild speculation, that in the future the U.S., India, and China (and maybe Russia if they get their **** together) are going to be three almost evenly matched superpowers. Once we stop exporting our entire economy to those two countries as outsourced labor the U.S. manufacturing economy should see a boost as jobs return to the U.S. Or else all three superpowers will just start exploiting other third world countries for manufacturing like the U.S. did China and India. I don't think there will be a war, cold or hot, however. We rely far to much on each other to wage open warfare. We'll just be constantly at each others throats economically.

 

[Keterex]

It is a power but a lot depends on how it handles the inevitable social change it has to undergo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

I am old enough to remember watching that. Later on I found out one of the students was executed for arson ( Burning a bonfire). Sobering stuff.