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Why do you expect the language of a middle-income country with a rapidly aging population and unsustainable economic model to somehow become more useful in the

Why do you expect the language of a middle-income country with a rapidly aging population and unsustainable economic model to somehow become more useful in the next 100 years? There's also the uncomfortable fact that many Chinese people just think it's funny that a foreigner speaks their language, or they feel like they have something over you because you have to talk to them on their terms. (I say this as a Mandarin learner, btw)

flukus 10y ago
Because that middle income country is the second biggest economy in the world and could be number one in the next century.
- lacampbell 10y ago
  In the next century, UN projections predict that the population of China will have dropped to 940 million, from its current value of 1,340 million. [1] More immediately, Chinas population will peak in 15 years or so, which means its labour pool is already shrinking. Many East Asian countries are facing the same issue of course (South Korea, Taiwan) and Japan is dealing with it already. But these countries are all high income democracies - how will a middle income dictatorship deal with a rapidly aging population? How can they push through that to become even more economically productive, as you envision? I don't see it. Chinas official GDP figures are hugely questionable btw, at least one province has been caught fabricating data http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-admits-it-fabricated-economic-data-three-years http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-ad... [2] I don't know why so many people seem to extrapolate Chinas rise in the past few decades out indefinitely into the future. I don't see it ever becoming a high income country - at least not under its current system. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_China#Population_projection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_China#Populati... [2] http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-admits-it-fabricated-economic-data-three-years http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-ad...

flukus 10y ago

Because that middle income country is the second biggest economy in the world and could be number one in the next century.

lacampbell 10y ago
In the next century, UN projections predict that the population of China will have dropped to 940 million, from its current value of 1,340 million. [1] More immediately, Chinas population will peak in 15 years or so, which means its labour pool is already shrinking. Many East Asian countries are facing the same issue of course (South Korea, Taiwan) and Japan is dealing with it already. But these countries are all high income democracies - how will a middle income dictatorship deal with a rapidly aging population? How can they push through that to become even more economically productive, as you envision? I don't see it. Chinas official GDP figures are hugely questionable btw, at least one province has been caught fabricating data http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-admits-it-fabricated-economic-data-three-years http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-ad... [2] I don't know why so many people seem to extrapolate Chinas rise in the past few decades out indefinitely into the future. I don't see it ever becoming a high income country - at least not under its current system. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_China#Population_projection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_China#Populati... [2] http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-admits-it-fabricated-economic-data-three-years http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-18/chinese-province-ad...