BuyerWillEPB, good for you that you took 3 months off to go to China. There’s nothing like seeing it in person. What people know about China from the press is only part of the story.

A rising China does not mean a declining USA. China can help America grow and vice versa. America share of the world’s GDP may decline but we should be OK with that as long as we can grow. As other countries get richer our share of the political influence will also decline. That’s not necessarily bad either.

As Tom Friedman said (I paraphrase) as we are stuck in Iraq and the war on terror, China and other countries are forcing new alliances and commercial ties. The world is moving on without us. We’d better fix Iraq quickly and move on with our lives. It’s like trying to sell an overpriced house for years. Your life is on hold during that period while your peers are happily living their lives.

If you travel to Asia, you can feel that China is beginning to replace America in terms of commerce and influence.