[AIG]

China is part of the global economic supply chain now. Economics is the biggest force in history. World capitalism can't be stopped. The Cold War proved that capitalism is superior to communism. Now, China is going to run with it. America benefits too: Cheaper goods for decades to come to help maintain Americans' standard of living and make their dollars go farther. China just replaced Korea, Taiwan, Japan, etc. as the source of cheap goods for American consumers. These latter countries' wages were low several decades ago but gradually got higher as these countries got rich off of exports. China will follow the same path, although China's got a big domestic market in and of itself (80% of China's GDP) that's already #1 in cell phones, light bulbs, air conditioners, refridgerators, elevators, and #2 in PC's.

[Mr. Mulliner]

It's not just about economics. When the four tigers ascended economically, there was no accompanying political or military threat. China is ascending economically while simultaneously building its army into superpower status. Many people have chosen to take an optimistic view of China's political will because they have been making all the right moves with their economy and done some things that have, in fact, increased personal freedom in China. But the truth is, China's an emerging economic superpower with a military to go along with it, but a very poor track record in the international political arena and some very real threats to the region.