April 19, 2006
The Independent (UK)

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

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. . . .

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Adam Dunn, "Did the Chinese Discover America?," CNN.com, January 13, 2003

[The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which maintained it had no plans for expansion, is now changing course. Mongolia, Iran, India and Pakistan, which previously had observer status, will become full members.--M K Bhadrakumar, "China, Russia welcome Iran into the fold," Asia Times, April 18, 2006]

Howard W. French, "Letter from China: Is it a 'peaceful rise'? U.S. shouldn't bet on it," International Herald Tribune, April 20, 2006

Bill Gertz, "More muscle, with eye on China," Washington Times, April 20, 2006

Paul Vallely and Clifford Coonan, "China's enemy within: The story of Falun Gong," Independent, April 22, 2006

[China may have already become the world's biggest polluter . . . much of China's emissions growth was being driven by consumers in the West buying Chinese goods, . . . China's emissions per person were still well below those of rich nations.--Roger Harrabin, "China building more power plants," BBC News, June 19, 2007]