Is Chinese power about to peak?
The country’s historic ascent is levelling off. That need not make it more dangerous
The rise of China has been a defining feature of the world for the past four decades. Since the country began to open up and reform its economy in 1978, its GDP has grown by a dizzying 9% a year, on average. That has allowed a staggering 800m Chinese citizens to escape from poverty. Today China accounts for almost a fifth of global output. The sheer size of its market and manufacturing base has reshaped the global economy. Xi Jinping, who has ruled China for the past decade, hopes to use his country’s increasing heft to reshape the geopolitical order, too.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Peak China?”
Leaders May 13th 2023
From the May 13th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Leaders
Mario Draghi’s best ideas are those Europe finds least comfortable
The danger is that it picks the easy ones
The Labour government’s worrying lack of ambition in Europe
Sir Keir Starmer is trapped by the mindset of the post-Brexit years
A make-or-break moment for Mexico
In America’s biggest trading partner the rule of law and democracy are under attack
The real problem with China’s economy
The country risks making some of the mistakes the Soviet Union did
What to do about America’s killer cars
The country’s roads are nearly twice as dangerous as the rich-world average. It doesn’t have to be that way
How to deal with the hard-right threat in Germany
As extremists win more votes across Europe, forming moderate and effective governments is getting harder