The other day in a conversation, someone reminded me of a famous Napoleon quote: “Let China Sleep, for when the Dragon awakes, she will shake the world.”
I looked it up to double-check. That was in 1803.
And then this morning, via Chris Blattman, I read this:
“When the presidents of China and the United States meet next week in Washington, neither will likely be aware that, measured in terms of purchasing power, it is Hu Jintao not Barack Obama who represents the world’s largest economy. Some time in 2010, the Chinese economy overtook that of the United States.”
Somehow I think Hu Jintao is all too aware of his country’s economic position.
And then while I was waiting for that sweet dragon picture to upload, I read this, this and this about China’s military and the Gates and Hu meeting. It really doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal, but is pretty interesting nonetheless.
So now what?
Mike, this one was for you.