China's GDP is poised to surpass that of Japan and may even overtake that of the United States in the foreseeable future. In addition to consolidating its status as "the factory of the world,"China is fast emerging as "the market of the world." The rise of China as an economic power has prompted both conservatives and reformists to weigh in on how China should proceed on the political and social fronts in order to become a true world power. Reformists are calling for the adoption of "universal values" such as democracy, rule of law, freedom and human rights, but conservatives reject these values as simply traits of the West and capitalism, calling for China to hold fast to "the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics" that enabled China to accomplish such spectacular growth over the last 30 years.
April 1, 2010 Nihon Keizai Shimbun
