China's Rise is Nothing New

In a recent post for the Harvard Business Review blog, professor of business administration William Kirby commented that the news that China has overtaken Japan as the world’s second-largest economy and is on its way to be the world’s largest economy by 2030 has stressed out Americans significantly.

A Historical Precedent

What we don’t realize, says Kirby, is that China’s position on top is nothing new.  China had the world's largest economy in 1800 and its empire was the strongest, richest and perhaps best governed on Earth. Were it not for the catastrophic rule of Mao Zedong in the third quarter of the 20th century, China would long ago have overtaken Japan in economic size and influence.

Why China?

What is it about China that’s so special?  Kirby says that it’s a country that values entrepreneurship, education, engineering, internationalization, and a government strong enough (if sometimes too strong) to get things done, and as a result is a powerful partner and a formidable competitor.

How to Compete

It’s time for us to stop wringing our hands that the 21^st century is the “Asian century.”  The U.S. can’t be the #1 superpower in the world forever.  It’s up to each one of us to learn how to work effectively with other nations.  We must become multi-lingual, possess an understanding of how business operates in other cultures, read international publications, and become accustomed to working on a more flexible schedule to accommodate far-away time zones.

The rest of the world has been doing these things for a long time.  In my opinion, China’s rise should not be viewed as threatening, but instead as a valuable opportunity for Americans to become more open-minded and productive, and to grow as global citizens.

 A version of this post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

Comments

[Alex Liu]

It is an insightful post. USA still has advantage over China in many areas. A strong government in China will not be forever. A growing Chinese middle class eventually will demand more freedom, which people of the West has had for a long time: freedom of speech & freedom of press, etc.

Start reading news about Asia to know your competitors.

[Alexandra Levit]

@Alex: Yes, it will be very interesting to see what happens with the Chinese government changes. We'll have to stay tuned!

[Dennis]

Absolutely agreed, china is no longer so "red", the government will be forced to make a political transform in future years by the strong willing from middle class. If you go to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, you'll find there are more and more people is asking for more human rights and political involvement.China is never a threat to U.S. and the world in history, except Mao's period, and it will never happen again.