India, China can dislodge West: Manmohan

[OhioChick]

Source: Times of India

15 Jan 2008, 2038 hrs IST

BEIJING: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said India and China can help dislodge the West as the centre of global economic gravity if they avoid confrontation and forge a closer partnership.

Singh, who was addressing the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the two countries could come together by following what he called the 'Asian Way'. "We will do it the Asian Way - avoiding confrontation and building trust, confidence and consensus. It is only in an environment of peace that prosperity in Asia can be sustained. India and China have an important role to play in building peace, security and stability in the region," he said.

The Prime Minister seemed to suggest that India and China should jointly consider the possible impact of recent developments in Pakistan.

He did not name Pakistan but said: "Recent developments in our neighborhood have brought home to us again the imperative need to collectively fight terrorism and extremism in all forms. As large and diverse societies, we are well placed to demonstrate the benefits of moderation and peaceful co-existence."



Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_China_can_dislodge_West_Manmohan/articleshow/2702750.cms

[Eurobabe]

1. But watch out for those speedboats in Iran n/t

[EVDebs]

2. Hmmm. He hasn't read Plan B 2.0

http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/PB2/Contents.htm

Read the 'Learning From China' subchapter 1

""That China has overtaken the United States in consumption of basic resources gives us license to ask the next question. What if China catches up with the United States in consumption per person? If the Chinese economy continues to grow at 8 percent a year, by 2031 income per person will equal that in the United States in 2004. If we further assume that consumption patterns of China’s affluent population in 2031, by then 1.45 billion, will be roughly similar to those of Americans in 2004, we have a startling answer to our question. 18

At the current annual U.S. grain consumption of 900 kilograms per person, including industrial use, China’s grain consumption in 2031 would equal roughly two thirds of the current world grain harvest. If paper use per person in China in 2031 reaches the current U.S. level, this translates into 305 million tons of paper—double existing world production of 161 million tons. There go the world’s forests. And if oil consumption per person reaches the U.S. level by 2031, China will use 99 million barrels of oil a day. The world is currently producing 84 million barrels a day and may never produce much more. This helps explain why China’s fast-expanding use of oil is already helping to create a politics of scarcity. 19 Or consider cars. If China one day should have three cars for every four people, as the United States now does, its fleet would total 1.1 billion vehicles, well beyond the current world fleet of 800 million. Providing the roads, highways, and parking lots for such a fleet would require paving an area roughly equal to China’s land in rice, its principal food staple. 20

The inevitable conclusion to be drawn from these projections is that there are not enough resources for China to reach U.S. consumption levels. The western economic model—the fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy—will not work for China’s 1.45 billion in 2031. If it does not work for China, it will not work for India either, which by 2031 is projected to have even more people than China. Nor will it work for the other 3 billion people in developing countries who are also dreaming the “American dream.” And in an increasingly integrated world economy, where countries everywhere are competing for the same resources—the same oil, grain, and iron ore—the existing economic model will not work for industrial countries either. 21""

The center of world consumption torch passes from the US to China/India. Be careful what you pray for, you may get it (and it might not be worth it).

[jody]

3. Given the U.S.' $9.2 trillion debt incurred mostly under Reagan, Bush-41, & Bush-43, the U.S. will

be overwhelmed by the China-India economic juggernaut.

If either China or India discovers a cheap method for renewal energy, the U.S. demise will happen very quickly because energy is a major impediment to China-India economic growth.