Leaders | China and the world

Is Chinese power about to peak?

The country’s historic ascent is levelling off. That need not make it more dangerous

The rise of China has been a defining feature of the world for the past four decades. Since the country began to open up and reform its economy in 1978, its GDP has grown by a dizzying 9% a year, on average. That has allowed a staggering 800m Chinese citizens to escape from poverty. Today China accounts for almost a fifth of global output. The sheer size of its market and manufacturing base has reshaped the global economy. Xi Jinping, who has ruled China for the past decade, hopes to use his country’s increasing heft to reshape the geopolitical order, too.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Peak China?”

Peak China?

From the May 13th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Neural connection, with an electric bolt travellingacross, trailing a little fruit fly.

A map of a fruit fly’s brain could help us understand our own

A miracle of complexity, powered by rotting fruit

The illustration depicts a large judge's gavel about to hit the Google logo

Dismantling Google is a terrible idea

Despite its appeal as a political rallying cry


Shigeru Ishiba holds a press conference  in Tokyo, Japan on September 27th 2024

Socially liberal and strong on defence, Japan’s new premier shows promise

But he must ditch his more eccentric ideas if he is to control his party


Don’t celebrate China’s stimulus just yet

It will take more than a spectacular stockmarket rally to revive the economy

The year that shattered the Middle East

Kill or be killed is the region’s new logic. Deterrence and diplomacy would be better

YouTube’s do-it-yourself brigade is taking on Netflix and Disney

Legions of self-taught film-makers are coming for the television industry