Forever rising China

Posted By Blake Hounshell Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - 8:28 AM Share

Amid all the hype about China becoming the world's new superpower, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people have been expecting this moment for a long time. A really, really long time.

Here's a passage from Barbara Tuchman's excellent biography of Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, the U.S. general who tried in vain to prop up Chiang Kai-Shek and the nationalists:

America at this time [the early 1900s], newly directed toward Asia by the recent acqiusition of Hawaii and the Philippines, was dazzled by the vision of the opportunities for her enterprise and outlets for her commerce in the Far East. China seemed the area of America's future and took on vast importance. John Hay was credited with having said that whoever understands China holds the key to the world's politics for the next five centuries. "Our future history," declared President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, "will be more determined by our position on the Pacific facing China than by our position on the Atlantic facing Europe."

EXPLORE:CHINA, HISTORY
 
Facebook|Twitter|Reddit

R.HOWE

9:15 AM ET

April 14, 2009

China

Oh, in the grand scheme of things a 100 years doesn't sound all that long. I expected China to industrialize more quickly, as least as quickly as Japan. Perhaps the size of China, in terms of square miles and population, made this impossible.

 

PAPICEK

9:55 AM ET

April 14, 2009

policy had it's place as well...

I have no doubt that China's growth would have occured long ago, and was finally enabled by two events: the breakup of the Soviet Union and the aquisition of that free-traders' paradise, Hong Kong. The former eliminated a security and philisophical distraction, and the latter added an entire population with a highly developed skill set in capitalism.

If Inglehart and Welzel are correct in their assumptions of the human development sequence, the next 30 years will see significant political change as well.

There's a doctoral thesis in political economy right there.

 

NQUIXOTE

9:24 AM ET

April 14, 2009

Well, Teddy was right, wasn't

Well, Teddy was right, wasn't he? Over the course of the 20th century, cross-Pacific commerce grew in importance while cross-Atlantic commerce largely held steady.

 

BLAKE HOUNSHELL

9:49 AM ET

April 14, 2009

Depends on how you look at it

I mean, the U.S. did get embroiled in two massive world wars that were fought largely in Europe...
 

RONDAVIS1

1:51 AM ET

April 15, 2009

Acai Berry Weight Loss

I lose my weight after having only two products without any side effects . I got surprised when it done. Before starting the program I was completely in doubt but now I am happy and recommend to others. Just visit Acai Berry

 

RICKY DEEZ

3:24 AM ET

April 15, 2009

china rising

for the past years china really proved that they can compete with other countries, developing their own brands of technology, goods and even a 100% duplicate of the brand with the cheaper cost

ricky deez

 

Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.

Read More