Largest economy - China

On January 14, BBC World Service radio reported that China had become the third largest economy in the world, replacing Germany after USA and UK. For me, it was not surprising. Instead, i asked: "why did it take so long?"

Well, i will not attempt to answer that question but i will look at the hard facts. Apart from being a country with a population so huge that the census department cannot cope with the counting, it is also a country that has so many industries and factories producing export goods going out all over the globe.

A quick look around myself revealed a lot:
my wrist watch was made in China
the GPS device i use, made in China
the battery in my Nokia N72 phone, made in China
VoIP device on my desk, made in China
all the AC-DC power adaptors in my house are made in China
the Bluetooth keyboard for my laptop is made in China
the labels on my choice wrinkle-free shirts read made in China
the list is endless!

When Raul took over leadership of Cuba from the senior Castro, he lifted a ban on purchase of electronics and other gadgets by the common people. Folks poured into shops and bought whatever they craved. Am sure all the DVDs, laptops, cell phones, gizmo-this, gizmo-that, must have had a component, if not the whole thing, reading: "Made in China".

The best quality fabrics on the US market are made in China. Mobile telecom equipment used by network operators in Africa is now brought in from China.

It is just a matter of a half a dozen years or so, and China will become the leading economy in the world.


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