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It’s official!
China is now one of the top four economic powers in the
world, jumping from sixth to fourth place in the ranking
of countries by gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005.
After going it alone for decades, China has finally opened
up to the rest of the world and made a practical and
effective switch to a market economy. This new “emerging” China,
with 1.3 billion inhabitants topping the demographic
charts and 9.9% GDP growth in 2005, attracts both admiration
and envy. The dynamics of this massive market fascinate
and can represent a ray of hope for flagging industrialised
economies.Yet new opportunities bring new concerns. China’s
economic takeoff is at least partly responsible for the
recent hike in oil and commodity prices at a time when
a question mark hangs over the future of our reserves
of non-renewable fossil fuels. |
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And demand for
oil looks set to rise steadily with China’s heavy
industry continuing to expand, boosted by Western relocation,
and fast-growing car ownership. This would deal a blow
to an already-shaky global economy and step up competition
for oil supplies between consumer countries.Views of
China range from enthusiastic to downright pessimistic.
In this issue of Energies, we have tried to get the “inside
story” about the Middle Kingdom. An eminent diplomat
from the People’s Republic of China and former
Ambassador to France explains how China sees itself and
its role on the international scene, what are its ambitions,
its strengths and its weaknesses. A French observer working
in Beijing unravels the complexities of this country
the size of a continent. China seems to have made remarkable
progress. |
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Yet if everyone
is to enjoy the “reasonable” standard of
living that the government has made a priority, the country
must continue with its far-reaching economic and social
reforms. China still has a way to go on the obstacle
course of development.The authorities in Beijing also
know that to control growth, they must control energy
consumption and combat climate change. They know that
to reduce China’s energy dependence, they need,
at least initially, an injection of know-how and cutting-edge
technologies from foreign partners. Only by mastering
these fundamentals can China integrate harmoniously into
the new world economic order.
The editorial team |
