Economic crown matters less to domestic audience
By Su Li , Global Times
According to new figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on a purchasing power parity basis, China has overtaken the US in terms of economic size to become the world's largest economy.
It's no surprise that this "official stamp" on Chinese economic volume has barely drawn any attention at home. Foreign organizations have tried to predict exactly when China would surpass the US to become the biggest global economy. Many analysts in China also admit that given the current growth momentum, it's probably only a matter of time before the Chinese economy ranks first. But the meaning of this ranking is apparently diminishing in the eyes of the Chinese public.
It's hard to tell what this crown can bring to China. National pride? Doesn't sound plausible nowadays. More pressure and trouble? Probably.
It is clear that public demand for economic growth has become much more comprehensive. Development is still the main priority, but the concept of development has been enormously enriched. The old mentality that sees GDP as a dominant performance indicator has been widely dismissed. Not many care about when China's GDP will surpass that of the US. People care more about concrete measures of modernization: living standards, social welfare and the wealth gap.
The government is fully aware that these demands must be channeled into the decision-making process, and new reforms must be initiated to touch not just economic, but also social and political fronts.
In recent years, whenever there is a report from the World Bank, the IMF or other organizations that claims China is the top economy, there are anxieties in the West. This time, there are voices saying that "For the first time since Ulysses S. Grant was president, America is not the leading economic power on the planet," and that "This is a geopolitical earthquake with a high reading on the Richter scale."
Although the Chinese government does not necessarily agree with the calculation methods adopted by these international organizations, their reports indeed influence the way the world views China. While ensuring steady economic growth, China needs to be farsighted and adapt to possible geopolitical changes.
A large economy and visible increase of people's purchasing power can boost social confidence to a certain extent.
But on the other hand, pressure from the public due to their demands for better social well-being will certainly mount.
Before China truly wins its economic crown, it needs to pass the test of maintaining a large, and at the same time, stable economy.