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
How to respond to the riots on Britain’s streets
The violence demands robust policing, but it also requires cool heads
Is the big state back in Britain?
The risk is not too much interventionism, but too little audacity
How to make tourism work for locals and visitors alike
Holidays don’t have to be hell
Genomic medicines can cost $3m a dose. How to make them affordable
The treatments are marvels of innovation. Their pricing must be inventive, too
Chinese companies are winning the global south
Their expansion abroad holds important lessons for Western incumbents
The Middle East must step back from the brink
That still means starting with a ceasefire in Gaza