Yes, I've paid attention to TV shows and radio programs that discuss China and its places like Shanghai and Hong Kong.

China's growth is largely caused by shrinkage in other countries and particularly the U.S., Japan and most European countries.
The pursuit of (outrageous) profits has corporations worldwide canning their staffs (after robbing local taxes and satff pension plans in many cases) and relocating operations to China.
China has stealthily been absorbing ANY manufacturing including the stuff that is crucial for armaments manufacturing. China doesn't even have to lift a finger to become #1 in all categories because corporations are dying to get there and governments encourage it all. M*A*S*H's theme song was "suicide is painless". It's true for the corporations and ourselves too! China can wait for the final death.



>Have you looked at Shanghai lately?
>
>Some economists predict that by 2015, China will have enough spending power to become the world's primary engine of economic growth, unseating the United States, which has held that role since the end of World War II.
>China is the world's second-largest buyer of US government debt
>China has become the world's third-largest trading nation, following the United States and Germany
>In 2006, China's banking sector will be opened to foreign financial institutions and investment bankers under its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations
>
>>>>Whereas China was an ally, HAS the bomb, HAS space flight, HAS the manpower for sure.
>>>
>>>The chinese space program is a rip off of the Soyuz program. http://www.space.com/news/china_russia_991122.html
>>>Despite this, they are still 50 year behind.
>>>
>>>Their nuclear program was given to them by the Soviets.
>>>http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/china/nuke/
>>>
>>>Their Navy isn't fit for the open seas.
>>>
>>>China is a 3rd rate power but with tons of people.
>>
>>Yup.
>>You may be too young to remember when "Made in Japan" was a joke. Things broke as soon as you wound (of the wind variety, not the hurt variety) them, boxes were brittle cardboard that fell apart, etc. Things change fast.
>>Shanghai has grown from 8 million to 20+ million people in under 20 years and will be 30+ million by the end of this decade.
>>Manufacturing is concentrating in China.
>>The U.S. used to be the manufacturing centre of the world and we saw the impact of that especially during WWII. China may already be past that!
>>
>>My belief is that China is getting itself poised to become THE world power and we all have to hope that it exercises the prudence that was the characteristic of U.S.