only 643 Billion Dollars is setting China's Economy apart from overtaking the US now

[qamar1990]

Then I have to ask: how did you conclude that no one drinks tap water in North America, or that our water must be boiled before consumption? That is false (unless you are speaking of drinking from a stream or river, in which case it's irrelevant, since all water from rivers or streams, no matter the country, should be treated before consumption).

Perhaps you should change your location flag to Canada to avoid future misunderstandings.

well most people don't drink tap water and some places do have tap water not good enough for consumption.
overall our tap water is fairly ok

 

[Chronos]

well most people don't drink tap water and some places do have tap water not good enough for consumption.
overall our tap water is fairly ok

Damn.

New Zealand is lucky then.

I think it is a testament to Chinese grit and persistence they have reached withinearshot of U.S.A.

But I think the Chinese government realises they did F up the environment big time.

There are lessons here for India if they care to learn from it.

 

[Mr.S.Singh]

china has a long way to go, they have to raise their GDP per capita which will be difficult because of such large population
Here is the spot, with rise in GDP/PPP, China's manufacturing sector would slow down as cost of production would rise as labor costs would increase ... the good old middle income honey trap

We are currently he number 1 trading nation in the world, the number 1 manufacturer by output, the number 1 producer of electricity, and soon enough, the number 1 economy when adjusted by ppp. But we're still quite a ways from being the number 1 economy by exchange rates. This should be our next milestone.

Being a number one economy by exchange rates would require massive liberalization of banking, financing and mortgages
These sectors are still taking baby steps in china. It would take atleast 15-20 years to reach it optimum

 

[LeveragedBuyout]

Alright. Good for you.

I'm not trying to provoke a fight, so I will just leave it at this.

Water.epa.gov/drink/guide

well most people don't drink tap water and some places do have tap water not good enough for consumption.
overall our tap water is fairly ok

Agreed, our water is of very high quality, in the vast majority of cases. We have to be careful of generalizations like " most people don't drink tap water" based merely on personal experience or anecdotes.

 

[qamar1990]

Damn.

New Zealand is lucky then.

I think it is a testament to Chinese grit and persistence they have reached withinearshot of U.S.A.

But I think the Chinese government realises they did F up the environment big time.

There are lessons here for India if they care to learn from it.

so new zealand has good tap water?
i lived in america for over 16 years and i probably drank tap water probably less then 5 gallons total.

 

[OCguy]

I guess, it is the same in the US, as well.

Not even close. Boiling only destroys microorganisms, which are rigorously tested for and removed in public water supplies in the US. After an earthquake or other disaster where there may be some busted pipes or other potential sources of contamination that may happen between the processing plant and the home of the consumer, the local water authority usually recommends boiling as a precaution, and I would do the same.

Bottled water, in the US, is generally purchased for:

- Convenience - As with Soda/Coke products, it is actually cheaper to buy a 2liter bottle than it is a 591mL bottle, due to convenience alone.

- Taste - US public water has different amounts of dissolved solids (minerals), which must be at acceptable levels at all times. These solids are what cause taste variance between regions/water sources. Also, public water is fluoridated ( mostly to mess with conspiracy theorists. )

- Status - As China is currently finding out, the only thing a population with new money likes more than more money, is the ability to show off to the world how much money they have. It doesn't just stop at cars, homes, and jewelry. Once you self-identify in a certain social/economic circle, you will instinctually make choices that are meant to further that image. Yes, even having a bottle of imported water from an Antarctic well that only produces 100litres of water per year, suddenly becomes important.

 

[LeveragedBuyout]

Not even close. Boiling only destroys microorganisms, which are rigorously tested for and removed in public water supplies in the US. After an earthquake or other disaster where there may be some busted pipes or other potential sources of contamination that may happen between the processing plant and the home of the consumer, the local water authority usually recommends boiling as a precaution, and I would do the same.

Bottled water, in the US, is generally purchased for:

- Convenience - As with Soda/Coke products, it is actually cheaper to buy a 2liter bottle than it is a 591mL bottle, due to convenience alone.

- Taste - US public water has different amounts of dissolved solids (minerals), which must be at acceptable levels at all times. These solids are what cause taste variance between regions/water sources. Also, public water is fluoridated, mostly to mess with conspiracy theorists. )

- Status - As China is currently finding out, the only thing a population with new money likes more than more money, is the ability to show off to the world how much money they have. It doesn't just stop at cars, homes, and jewelry. Once you self-identify in a certain social/economic circle, you will instinctually make choices that are meant to further that image. Yes, even having a bottle of imported water from an Antarctic well that only produces 100litres of water per year, suddenly becomes important.

Huh? Where did I write that quote to which you are responding?

 

[Jlaw]

Then I have to ask: how did you conclude that no one drinks tap water in North America, or that our water must be boiled before consumption? That is false (unless you are speaking of drinking from a stream or river, in which case it's irrelevant, since all water from rivers or streams, no matter the country, should be treated before consumption).

Perhaps you should change your location flag to Canada to avoid future misunderstandings.

I lived in Canda for 20 years. Tap water is drinkable but there's too many chemicals and chlorine in there. Thus I boil my water all time, than filter the boiled water. I will be getting a reverse osmosis water treatment when I move to my new home next year.

 

[OCguy]

Huh? Where did I write that quote to which you are responding?

Looks like my quoting skill needs some work...that wasn't aimed at you. Fixing now....

 

[LeveragedBuyout]

I lived in Canda for 20 years. Tap water is drinkable but there's too many chemicals and chlorine in there. Thus I boil my water all time, than filter the boiled water. I will be getting a reverse osmosis water treatment when I move to my new home next year.

I was wrong to assume Canada has the same high standards as the US. My apologies.

 

[Jlaw]

Going back to the topic. Imo, surpassing the US will eventually happen but GDP/capita is most important for me. When China's GDP/capita hits $10,000 USD than we can talk about this.

All this nonsense news to prop up China's GDP is just BS.

 

[qamar1990]

I'm not trying to provoke a fight, so I will just leave it at this.

Water.epa.gov/drink/guide



Agreed, our water is of very high quality, in the vast majority of cases. We have to be careful of generalizations like " most people don't drink tap water" based merely on personal experience or anecdotes.

well do most people drink tap or bottled water?

 

[Jlaw]

I was wrong to assume Canada has the same high standards as the US. My apologies.

The US tap water is more or less the same. But I do not like fluoride in tap water as some studies suggest it can cause more harm than good. You can google that. It's been a topic of debate for years now.

 

[qamar1990]

I was wrong to assume Canada has the same high standards as the US. My apologies.

i remember watching on cnn that even our tap water has chemicals and even drugs in it, but at a very very low level.
Drugs in Drinking Water: A New EPA Study Finds More Than We Knew | New Republic
don't forget our healthcare system also is the biggest fraud in the world.
saying that america has the best standards is false, we are behind on many things. we are so powerful because of our huge population and resources.

 

[OCguy]

Going back to the topic. Imo, surpassing the US will eventually happen but GDP/capita is most important for me. When China's GDP/capita hits $10,000 USD than we can talk about this.

All this nonsense news to prop up China's GDP is just BS.

Quality of life for the lower to upper-middle class will be the next marker for Chinese, once the GDP metric of choice is achieved. It will come with time, but GDP is never an indicator. The countries that enjoy the highest quality of life ratings are not the economic or military giants.