Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
The transformation of China is one of the biggest stories of the twenty first century. In the last two decades, the country focused on infrastructure development and the result is its growing influence across the globe.
China has not just built huge cities, & ensure world class development, but it also improved connectivity for the citizens. One example is that the high speed train that runs from Beijing to Shanghai, has shortened travel time, for commuters. It can travel at a speed of 350 km per hour.
Even the average speed is 290-300 kmph. Such is its pace that the distance of over 1300 kms, can be covered in just 4-1/2 hrs. The same journey takes more than 15 hrs and even 20 hrs in other nations. Even developed countries like US couldn’t focus as much on enhancing the railway network.
Tens of millions use these trains and save the time. It is just an example of how China has steadily built & improved it’s railroad network.
This vision has strengthened China’s muscle. China has been immensely successful in production of goods for global consumption and this boom in production, has made it the leading exporter among all the countries in the world.
Its share in global exports is highest, even ahead of the topmost industrialised and richest countries.
The GDP too reflects the rise. In fact, its economy has grown in a manner, that researchers and economists had already predicted that China’s economy could even overtake America in future.
The share of China in global GDP went up from nearly 6% in 2000 to 18% in recent period, as per data available for the year 2023.
The low cost of production was China’s biggest strength. But it kept expanding in all the sectors and now China has gone ahead in the field of technology and is giving a tough competition to West, like in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) too.
The belt and road initiative has been ambitious. Besides, it is investing in ports, bridges, all sorts of road and other communication networks that are being built in different countries of the world, with China’s support.
The trade with Africa has gone up and China is also investing more in R&D, in order to stay ahead and steal a march over other major economic powers.
