Since the end of WWII the US has been the world’s greatest economic, diplomatic and military power. When the Cold War ended with the collapse of the USSR that left the US as the only superpower.
For nearly 80 years we’ve got used to being the top dog, and most of us never even consider that our status could change. Maybe we should though, because history tells us that it can, and probably will.
Someday, maybe sooner than we expect, someone will overtake us – and right now the most likely candidate for that is China.
Are We Losing The Race?
Not that long ago the idea of China outcompeting the US seemed ridiculous. Despite its huge population, it was a poor country.
Its military was large, but armed with crude copies of 1950s Soviet equipment. Chinese exports were notoriously cheap and nasty. And, despite frequent – and often brutal – attempts to reform its economy, it grew slowly or not at all.
About 20 years ago that suddenly changed. Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin took power in 1989 and built on the reforms of his predecessor, Deng Xiaoping. As he started to hand over to his successor Hu Jintao, those reforms started to pay off and China’s economy began to grow dramatically.
Related: Looming Economic Crisis Threatens To Push Millions Of Americans Into Starvation
The US economy is significantly larger than China’s. In 2022 our estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is around $25,035 billion. China, in second place, has an estimated GDP of $18, 321 billion. That makes the US economy around 37% larger, which is definitely a big lead.
That lead needs to be put in perspective, though. The world’s third-largest economy is Japan, with a GDP of about $4,301 billion – smaller than the difference between China and the US.
The US and China are far out in front of the pack. That wasn’t always true, though. In fact, in 1980 China wasn’t second only to the US; it was tenth, behind countries like Italy, Canada and Brazil.
Looking at how far behind the two leading economies Japan is now, that gives an idea of how much, and how fast, China has grown. Today the US economy is 37% larger than China’s; in 1980 it was 1,266% larger.
Even as recently as 2010 it was 257% larger – well over twice the size. The speed of China’s economic growth has been stunning. Even more stunning, and worrying, is how much faster than us China is growing.
Looking at economic growth from 2005 to 2019, before the pandemic disrupted world economies, we can see that US GDP growth never broke 4% per year and is usually closer to 2%. (Source)
It’s also obvious that the gap has closed a lot in the last ten years – but it hasn’t closed enough.
In 2019 the Chinese economy was still growing more than twice as fast as ours. In fact it grew 3.7% faster. How long will our 37% lead last if China keeps outperforming us like this?
Just ten years.
What Happens If China Overtakes Us?
So, unless the US manages to increase economic growth, there’s a good chance China will overtake us around ten years from now. What difference will that make?
Some historians think it won’t make any difference at all, for a while. After all, the US economy overtook the British Empire’s in the 1880s, but Britain was still the only real global superpower until the 1920s and dominant until WWII.
It wasn’t being overtaken economically that knocked them off the top spot; it was the cost of fighting two world wars. So, if China overtakes us, could life carry on as before?
Related: The Best Places in America to Outlive the Upcoming Economic Depression
Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. The British Empire stayed at the top of the pile because the US, which was mostly isolationist, didn’t try to knock them off. America might have had a bigger economy, but Britain still had a much stronger navy and a lot more diplomatic influence.
All the evidence says that China won’t be happy to let the US remain dominant – and it’s already using its economy to increase its power. In the last 20 years China has slashed the size of its military, but it’s spending a lot more on what’s left.
Instead of a huge mass of half-trained men with old equipment, China now has an all-volunteer military with aircraft carriers, stealth fighters and modern tanks. Are they up to US standards? No – but they’re closing the gap.
China is also exploiting its money to build diplomatic influence.
Schemes like its “Belt and Road” plan have invested billions of dollars into countries in Asia, Africa, even Europe and South America.
Chinese cash has built ports and railroads around the world, making it easier to export Chinese goods – and giving Beijing growing diplomatic power.
In disputes at the United Nations, if a country’s economy depends on Chinese investment, which way is it going to vote?
China certainly isn’t isolationist, the way the US was before 1917. It’s aggressively pushing territorial disputes with its neighbors – especially Taiwan, which it claims is its own territory. It’s building a chain of fortified islands to dominate the western Pacific and South China Sea.
It’s also supporting countries that have disputes with major western powers, for example backing Argentina’s claim to UK territory in the Falkland Islands. China clearly plans to use its muscle, and that would have consequences for us.
What Could China Do?
There are several ways an economically dominant China could make its presence felt. In fact some smaller ones are already happening.
Related: Rampant Inflation: 10 Things To Do Before It’s Too Late
Remember the original Top Gun? In the 1986 movie Maverick’s leather flying jacket had flag patches showing where his ship had been, and they included the flags of Taiwan and Japan – two nations China is hostile to.
In the 2022 sequel those flags are gone. Why? Because in 1986 nobody cared what China thought, but since Beijing started allowing American movies to be shown in the 1990s China has become a market of 1.4 billion potential viewers.
The success of a movie can be decided by how that market reacts. So Hollywood is already self-censoring anything that might upset China. As Chinese economic power grows, expect that trend to accelerate.
China is spending money on its military and it isn’t scared to use it.
It’s already trying to intimidate Taiwan, and regularly threatens to seize the island democracy by force.
Not that long ago, US military power would have been enough.
Now Beijing seems to think their own military is powerful enough, at least within a couple of hundred miles of their coast, to keep the US out of a battle in Taiwan.
If their economy overtakes ours then their military won’t be far behind, and we can expect them to use that military to settle disputes. Without the US military to back it up, Taiwan won’t survive as an independent democracy.
China will control the South China Sea, taking over the territory it claims from Vietnam, the Philippines, Borneo and Indonesia. That will give it the power to interrupt key shipping lanes.
Economic power will also allow China to build a network of overseas military bases in countries that rely on Chinese investment. That leaves key western allies like Japan and Australia surrounded by Chinese-influenced territory. Most of Africa will be friendly to Beijing.
Even the Americas aren’t safe; Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela and Peru are just some of the Latin-American countries that are now being propped up by Chinese money. China could even use its influence there to attack the west through proxies – for example, a rearmed Argentina threatening the Falkland Islands to distract US and British forces.
If China becomes the dominant economy it can attack our finances directly. China holds over a trillion dollars in US debt. If they call that in, or even increase interest rates, the effects could be devastating.
Americans could be forced to pay more tax to cover the interest, while spending on our military and public services is slashed. Beijing could use this threat to force the US government to adopt China-friendly policies. Chinese economic dominance would mean the end of US independence as we know it.
What Will We Notice?
The consequences of China overtaking the US economically are alarming, but how much difference would we notice in our everyday lives?
Unfortunately the answer is quite a lot.
Right now we import huge quantities of Chinese goods, because they’re cheap.
Related: 6 Warning Signs Before An Economic Collapse That Most People Miss
The reason they’re cheap is that, compared to us, China is a low-wage economy. It’s cheaper to make things there, which is why so many American companies just design products then have them manufactured in China. China won’t always be a low wage economy, though. In fact it’s already changing.
As the gap closes Chinese goods will become more expensive, but often we’ll have to buy them anyway because our own manufacturing industries have declined too much to meet demand in the short or medium term.
Even if US companies start producing at home again prices will still rise, so we won’t be able to buy as much as we can now.
There could also be shortages, as more of the goods China currently exports are bought by its own growing middle class.
Shortages lead to higher prices, and the only alternative to shortages – making more goods here in the US – isn’t going to bring prices back down. If China overtakes us we’re all going to feel poorer, because our money won’t buy as much.
Does It Have To Happen?
Chinese dominance isn’t inevitable. Their economy is still growing faster than ours, but the gap has shrunk over the last few years.
If the COVID pandemic makes our government think twice about the wisdom of buying our goods from China, and America starts making things again, we could rebuild our own strength and slow China’s growth even more.
But, unless we move away from globalization – which means relying on China’s huge, cheap industrial production – and become self-sufficient again, China will dominate the second half of this century.
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Top gun didn’t remove the flags.
China will invade the United States of America inside 24 months
It will happen sooner, I think. Maybe, like next year or sooner or maybe they are just bluffing to see what our third world country will do.
Our own people have sold us out to china. When we go to WAR, just watch how many of our own fighting force will “bow down” to them, on the first day, I bet. So will the people and our hometown defenders. No trust in them to save us.
We are not what we were 40 or 50 or even 60 years ago. Hell, we are not what we were since 2022 even.
We only care what your DAMMED pronoun is. SAD day in america… GOD has turned his BACK on this country… just like we have turned our back on him. 🙁 Not all, but a most.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are now sinking like the TITANIC, so stay com and all will be okay when you sink to the bottom. Thanks to OUR sorry ass leaders…
We will get our asses kicked by china. They will not be worried about these woke ass people we are so concerned about today, that I see everywhere.
This is where I see our great country going to, to the sick and demonic people.
RED DAWN coming to your doorstep, SOON…
Stay sharp
PS: we were warned…
Of course they already have. Americans Cannot own property in China, However Chinese (and any foreigner for that matter) may own property in the USA. Which, unfortunately, includes our National Parks.
JoAnn
If latin america doesn’t beat them to it. All china has to do is land in mexico and walk across. The DNCCP traitors in DC will help them do it.
I don’t know about you guys,but I’m going to use the woke people and protesters (I live close to Atlanta) as sand bags.
I live close to Atlanta as well, luckily, Kennesaw has a law you have to own a gun and ammunition.
Jerry T: Every once in a while I morn the fact that I can’t push that ‘up-vote’ 2K times.
Pretty sure we won’t be able to pick some of them up? How you gonna get 600lb WOKE sandbag out of their mamma’s basement? That is of course AFTER separation from fist full of hot pocket and hillbilly piss.
And it will take many layers of camo to cover the ‘hair of many colors’ so we don’t give our positions away!
I think the following scenario will happen:
CCP will detonate several EMP devices over the US to knock out our electrical grid. They will claim they had nothing to do with it. Within 1 year, due to lack of spare parts to repair the grid and government incompetence, 99 percent of our population will die. The CCP will send over aid workers (military troops) to help the survivors. They will use Latin American, African and Asian proxies to keep Americans in line and keep the deaths of Chinese personnel down.
As a cost of business, farmland will be confiscated, and other resources will be sent back to China. America will become a vassal state. Of course, survivors will be rounded up for our safety and disarmed. We will be given jobs (slave labor) to pay off our savior’s kindness.
The collaborators will live in luxury and the rest of us will live hand to foot. But hey, all empires live for 200 years and then crumble from within. It will take time but we will be back.
AKA Red Dawn.
One has to remember that China’s income depends mostly on trade with the US. Cut off the people buying their cheap goods and there probably won’t be sufficient sales to other, mostly poorer, countries to make up the loss.
I don’t see China trying to kill off 99% of our population. Gain more properties and businesses, possibly.
They’ve already bought most politicians and that’s how they succeed in gaining more control over the US and other nations.
The one-child policy for a few decades has damaged China. Their demographics are older and will soon need social services. India has a younger population and will overtake China in economic power in 20-30 years after China overtakes the U.S. In addition, the Chinese dictatorship leads to less-effective programs, less innovation, and less entrepreneurship. China has established an economic overlay over most of the nations; however, I think there are severe cracks in their expected dominance. I have read some articles that expect China to implode with 20 years. The proxy war in the Ukraine has also given China reason to pause. People seem to like their freedom and are willing to fight for it.
Agreed. China has severe economic problems going on inside the country, contrary to its reporting that the economy is booming. They have rampant Covid problems that keeps rolling through the population creating an economic downturn because people are too sick to work. Estimates say that half the Chinese population is sick. Also, China is hoarding food because they can’t make enough for their population. If the economy and food distribution falters for any length of time in China, there will be mass protests, which experts say could topple the Communist gov’t immediately. We saw what happened a couple of months ago when the CCP tried to lock down the entire country due to a Covid outbreak. The Chinese people said no, and videos leaked out of China showing hundreds of thousands demonstrating and protesting, throwing Molotov cocktails, clashing with police and causing a lot of heartburn for the Chinese gov’t. After about a month, their gov’t relented and stopped the total lockdown scenario. The protests slowed down, but reports are showing protests are continuing on a number of other fronts for different reasons. The Chinese have serious social and economic problems right now, and their military, even with their advanced aircraft (power plants on jets are weaker than U.S. powerplants because Chinese could not steal their designs) and ships (Chinese do not have many capital ships like our missile cruisers and giant aircraft carriers. And, they definitely do not have our state-of-the-art missile and attack submarines, which are all stealth now. Their military cannot compare to the U.S.
Remember, the Nazis, with the most advanced, largest army and air force in the world, could not make the 28-mile trip across the English Channel to invade England in 1940. The Chinese would have to cross 100 miles to invade Taiwan. And, Taiwan has U.S. state-of-the-art fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile and anti-aircraft systems, artillery and tanks. Not only this, but they have advanced electronic systems from the U.S. that could knock out Chinese communications and battlefield control. And, the Chinese would still be in the water coming to Taiwan’s shores. The Chinese would not want to bomb Taiwan because of their modern economy and world leader in computer chips, cellphones, TVs, cars, etc. Taiwan is ranked with the 21st largest economy in the world.
American tech is military is a joke.
The Chinese already here with logistics in place
Ka Sa Ra Sa Ra. The future is not ours to see. With that in mind and what we all know is that our country cannot stand divided (Which at this point and time we are very much divided). There are many ways our demise as a country can happen. A few of these are we are attacked by terrorist, we have an economic failure, we have a revolution, we are attacked by another nation that uses an EMP, or due to weather our power grid fails and takes out the main substations. If any of these happens it is the end of the USA as a country. The most likely scenario is the states become small countries and defend themselves, but this will be difficult due to no electrical power.
Though we cannot know what the future holds we can prepare for some things. These things relate to personal survival.
We didn’t “lose” any race….it was thrown. We were sold out by 600+ traitors in DC.
Even if US companies start producing at home again prices will still rise, so we won’t be able to buy as much as we can now.
Reason prices will rise is because of GREED.
Corporate greed mostly too.
We don’t need all the stuff we buy now. Stuff is one of our major problems instead of faith in the father.
That is where ‘market regulation’ comes into play. You can’t stay in business if you don’t sell your product. If we start being realistic and saying no to overpriced items they have to lower the price to stay in business.
Now…we have a mind set of – oh I want it, there are only so many, so I will pay more than it’s worth just so I get what I want. Pretty sure that when we crash…that mind set WILL change.
The last real Estate I sold. First offer was $5k over asking price?
The difference between now and future, imo, is that kind of cash will NOT be available. You will have to get competitive but never offer more than it’s worth!
The U.S. corporate world in China is moving a lot of their industrial power, technological power, auto, electronic and computer technology out of China back to the U.S., or to South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and SE Asia, India, and Europe.
They are coming to the realization that the Chinese could shut them down at any time, so they are making the prudent moves finally.
The economic takeover will be likely be preceded by the collapse of the dollar in favor of the yuan being the reserve currency. The U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of the world has make dollars desirable because since the 1970s, you basically couldn’t buy oil (from OPEC) without dollars. Just after the botched recent withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Saudi’s started selling oil to China in yuan instead of dollars.
Botched? Is that how much credit your giving it?
As shocking as loosing 1st Place may be. Many countries in different times were at one time, at their zenith.
The Gold Backed Dollar was replaced because the US Government overprinted that currency to fund wars and has continued to do this up to the present day. Why should the world put trust in the USA?
China may rule next. Who will be after them?
Vince B
I believe the next ruler will Be JESUS CHRIST, no question about it.
stay sharp
This article portrays some information about China and then incorrectly defines globalization as purchasing goods from China. Globalization is much more than that, and there’s no going back. But that wasn’t even the point of the article. The point that I think was trying to be made is that we don’t have to buy things from China, which is absolutely true. There are ways to work with our government representatives to stop allowing foreign investment, and incentivize companies to manufacture in United States, where reasonable, as well as trading with ethical countries. Making extremist comments about somebody taking over somebody else or hiding in your cellar doesn’t help anybody.
Guess what folks….
the horse has already left the stables:
By the start of 2020, Chinese owners controlled about 192,000 agricultural acres in the U.S.
In 2019, Chinese nationals purchased 6,300 properties in the United States,
I would like to know how many companies are Chinese owned in the U.S.
I can find some on the internet,
but I would bet that there are many we do not know about.
For example, in the U.S., Chinese owned companies are:
General Electric,
AMC theatres,
Smithfield Foods, VIrginia,
The Waldorf Astoria Hotels,
IBM computers,
General Motors,
Spotify, (music),
Tesla (Elon Musk is just the brains)
Snapchat,
Hilton Hotels,
Microsoft,
WeWork (Shared work spaces)
Sothebys,
Starplex Cinemas,
Alliance Health Care Services,
Segways,
Riot Games Inc.
Uber,
Brookstone Inc.
Motorola Mobility,
Dairy Farms of America (Yup… of America)
Fab online, (design industry)
California Grapes,
Cleveland Cavaliers (Basketball)
Mochi Media Inc (online games)
LendingClub Corp
Electrolux ( Eureka brand)
Fisker Automotive, (electric vehicles)
Lexmark (laser printers)
Fidelity & Guaranty Life (life insurance)
NextVR Inc (Virtual Reality company)
Zulily Inc (Online shopping)
ShopRunner Inc (online e-commerce)
Jennifer Convertibles Inc (sofa beds)
EIG Global Energy Partners (global energy)
Pocket Gems Inc (mobile phone games)
Legendary Entertainment Group (Movie world)
NaturalPoint Inc (Virtual reality sector)
Evenflo Co Inc (baby products)
Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc
Oneworld Star International Holdings Ltd (Apparel Manufacturing)
Sotheby’s (Art and Life Insurance)
Dearborn Mid-West Co LLC (Design and Integration)
OmniVision Technologies Inc
Baby Trend Inc (All things Baby)
Chesapeake Energy Corp
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Texas)
MicuRX Pharmaceuticals Inc
Sea World
21st Century Fox
Starwood Capital Group Management LLC (Hotels)
Warner Music (Recording Industry)
Reddit (Social media news)
E-land Footwear
GNC (Health food)
Nobel Learning Communities (Private schools)
Carlson Hotels Inc
Airbnb
Nexteer Automotive (Car parts)
Boston-Power Inc (Electric car batteries)
OmniLytics Inc (Agricultural)
Ironshore Inc
International Data Group
Magic Leap
Newegg (computer hardware)
Epic Games Inc
Starwood Hotels
Global Solar Energy Inc (Arizona)
iTalk Global Communications Inc
Lyft
Sofi (Finance and Loan)
Volvo
Lionsgate (movies)
TransPacific Energy Inc
Studio 8 (Entertainment)
Switchbox Labs
And in Canada: (Some have been closed after takeover… hmmm…)
Petro Kazakhstan (Calgary, Petroleum company)
CNOOC Petroleum North America
Lorex (Security systems)
(Asia Pacific Group Canada) (Marine containers)
500px
John & Jenny TCM College – Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine School Toronto
Nelson International (Wood products)
Hong Hung Health Products LTD.(Chinese herbs, Toronto)
Carbo Trading Co Inc. (Acupuncture needles)
North America Trading (Car export)
America Woodwell INC. (Solar energy products)
LBN Development, NAGAYO (Real estate and land development)
Clark International Company INC.
Cheungs Trading Company Limited (Herbs and health food)
Columbia Strategic Consulting Group
Peoplegress Group Inc. (Legal issues, taxation)
Chinese Movies Online (Ontario)
Microberta Inc.
Original Wu Yi Tea
Little Princess Fashion
Brand Concepts INC.
Kitex Ltd. (Heavy Equip.)
Tango Martini
Nanjing Marketing Group
Chine-Quebec
John & Jenny TCM College – Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine School Toronto
NK5 Ltd. (home furniture)
Columbia Strategic Consulting Grou
Clover International Trading (Trading company)
Commerce Shinyee Inc.(Sourcing)
Nexen Inc. (Oil & gas producer)
Zijin Mining Group Ltd (Lithium Mining)
Ogema( Canadian Farms with produce being shipped to China)
Sinomine Resource Group Co (Critical Minerals)
Paper Excellence (Canada’s biggest pulp producer )
There are many more that we do not know about:
Oilfields,
Seafood Plants,
So it looks like China owns a lot of North America!!
Do you know of any to add to the list?
I know that there are a lot of smaller companies along with the bigger companies.
Here’s two more – The Biden Family, and Mitch McConnell,
A.E.
What is your source for this information?
This is NOT for those who are present on the site. Because you already know. But pass the word to anyone who will listen.
It is NOT OVER. Unless we let it be.
If CCP pass’ us in economic power will they treat the rest of the world the way we do?
We buy their cheap items, while complaining about our high priced items. The question is why is there a difference? They use slave labor while suppressing their own citizenry. So if they pass us…exchange the terms Uyghurs for Americans, and then picture all the cheap CCP products the ACCP will produce for the rest of the world!
The entire world needs to picture the CCP in place of the USA?
We stopped the use of child labor by making it illegal to purchase from countries or companies that use it. (We also STOPPED BUYING THE PRODUCTS!) Same, same stop paying the CCP to kick our ass’! Everything you buy from them finances their war against us???
Honestly, if we could just bring back the manufacturing and production side of our businesses back to America, we would be much better off. Thanks to the greedy AMERICAN capitalists trying to squeeze everything they can out of the bottom dollar, they’ve sold us out to China, Mexico, India, and other countries. I’m willing to purchase American-made products. I purposefully look for “Made in America” products, and will buy them first. If I can’t afford it, I’ll save the money until I can get it.
I’d MUCH rather pay a little more for products made by hard-working Americans, than to continue paying for cheap knock-offs, especially since American businesses shipping our jobs over to China is what helped start our eventual financial demise.
No you won’t
So what, they are much better organized. Sure there are human issues there but look at America, this dump of a country allows the police to harrass and shoot unarmed citizens, We have more poverty than middle class, we have a republican government who would love Sharia Law and is already inforcing a theocracy based ona mythical book and a “God Delusion”. They are taking away rights for americans everyday and they are fine with doing that.
Those shithole countries the orange man spoke of, well America is one of them.
Do you have a go fund me account for your airfare to China?
I’ll give you one thing Lisa, You have a terrible attitude.
80%of what China makes is a copy of our products. They have a hard time making original goods. China has 500million people that are piss poor and ready to pounce on the CCP to replace it.
Lisa ,,,,,,You seem to be a little confused.
Lisa sounds uneducated. My nice way of saying stupid.
I Identify as a Conspiracy Theorist…
My Pronouns are “Told / You / So”
I remember back in the Clinton administration when our military secrets were mysteriously being given to China. The Clintons left office multimillionaire s. China was a joke back then. Now with our technology they are advancing beyond what we have. No country would be any where close to our ships, subs and fighter jets if these corrupt politicians hadn’t been selling out the American people. Our founders would be very busy hanging traitors for treason if these corrupt politicians were around when the country had just sacrificed so much fighting for our freedoms.
Karen, I mean Lisa you have been drinking too much of your own bath water. You need to go see a head doctor while there’s still one around because you are way out of touch with reality. Find God and get to know him too. As far as the Great USA, if you don’t love it leave it. It’s got problems but it’s still the best Country in the world and would be a lot better without people like you and your criminal party that’s trying to destroy Her.
A Chinese WOLF Diplomat recently said
“Americans have freedom, the freedom to be stupid”.
He suddenly disappeared.
China is dominating for a few reasons. #1 is education. While our bankrupt corrupt public education has went from #1 in the industrial world (in 1990) to #30 today…
the Chinese communists have forced their people to obey and “highly” educate their children. China now has more “Honors” students…”than the USA has total K-12 students”.
Unless there is a dominating invading air force, the USA will NEVER be invaded. We have 16 million armed military veterans along with 15 million “deer hunters” (highly skilled snipers), and most of these folks live in the country.
Our internal political problems (or an EMP) will probably take us into a civil war that will end our way of life. Better get right with God, there is a reckoning coming.