| China, with its 1.3bn population and booming economy, is now the world's biggest consumer of grain, meat, coal and steel.
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Posted on 02/17/2005 12:50:23 AM PST by nickcarraway
China has "eclipsed" the US as a consumer nation China has overtaken the US in the consumption of basic agricultural and industrial goods, a new survey says. China, with its 1.3bn population and booming economy, is now the world's biggest consumer of grain, meat, coal and steel.
China is well ahead of the US in the consumption of goods such as television sets, refrigerators and mobile phones.
The Washington-based Earth Policy Institute said China was now an emerging economic superpower.
However, per capita consumption in China - the world's most populous country - remains far below that of the US.
According to the report:
64m tons of meat were consumed in China in 2004 compared to 38m tons in the US
258m tons of steel were used in China in 2003 compared to 104m in the US
China's factories and homes burned 40% more coal than in the US
The number of PCs in China is doubling every 28 months.
'Writing history'
The latest official figures for the Chinese economy, the sixth-largest in the world, show that it is growing even faster than expected.
It expanded by 9.5% in 2004, its highest rate for eight years, the figures show.
"China's eclipse of the United States as a consumer nation should be seen as another milestone along the path of its evolution as a world economic leader," Lester Brown, the institute's president said.
"China is no longer just a developing country," he said. "It is an emerging economic superpower, one that is writing economic history".
The report said China's massive appetite for goods ranging from grain to platinum had placed it "at the centre of the world raw materials economy."
"Its voracious appetite for materials was driving up not only commodity prices but ocean shipping rates as well," it said.
The data is misleading. They are high numbers, but don't translate to caloric intake to the avg citizen. When they start demanding beef and start eating 3,000 calories - watch out.
I once read accounts that these daikuans don't hesistate to spend US$10,000 on a 12-people feast every day in a one week row. They like to have food like good shark fins, good grouper, good abalone (which could be extremely expensive). They like to drive in Mercedes S500s and put on marble, Italian toiletries, French furniture, 50" plasma TVs in their homes.
Where did they get that much money? Ask Hu Jintao. ;-)
please, these people need to get a clue
Earth Policy Institute, go figure.
NO KIDDING! I get a solicitation for a "You're qualified for a new low mortgage rate!" about 10 times a day. Every one of the ones I've randomly traced by send originated in China. I imagine several of those sex pill ("V|ag'ara and C/I/A/L/I/5 to your door!") and pirated software ("Micr0soft W1ndows XP .... $60") spams also originate there.
China's population is five times that of US. When their consumptions are five times that of US, then I would be impressed. Of course, that's not going to happen. The planet does not have enough resources to support all these people at American standard.
Then China will be FIVE times stronger than US. It means that USA will be in such relation to China as France is to USA today.
Having a big SUV, house with many rooms one do not use and eating too much does not make one stronger. So drinking wine at every meal and eating good cheese does not.
When China has the same size of economy (in real physical terms) and five times more population she will be much stronger (although poorer per capita).
Free trade bump!
Ah, we don't know that.
Those are the guys who can afford the large motorboats on trailers and the Executors.
Hey, I think I just found something to submit a research grant about and design a computer model for! Yippee!
(sarcasm off)
You mean those are scams?
| China, with its 1.3bn population and booming economy, is now the world's biggest consumer of grain, meat, coal and steel.
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Most Americans view China as a backward, over populated Asian backwater nation. Sorry folks, China is going to be the dominate nation in the world in short order. This may not be all bad. Chinese are hard workers and long suffering people.
The Commie leaders time is running out. What form the next leadership will be is unknown but likely it will be better than the authoritarian regime now in control.
China has suffered enough blood bathes in the last 100 years to last into the next millenium.
what this is a sign of, to a certain extent, is over capitalization of production and infrastructure assets.
<< .... these [Pigs] don't hesistate to spend US$10,000.00 on a 12-man feast every day in a one week row. They like to have food like good shark fins, good grouper, good abalone. They like to drive in Mercedes S500s and put on marble, Italian toiletries, French furniture, 50" plasma TVs in their homes. >>
They are, in short every bit as obscenely vulgar in their habits as are les cochons nouveaux riches of every color and creed. As I observe up close, here in Asia, every day -- and have for more than 40 years.
Never forgetting that 40% of their income derives from the counterfeit production of other peoples' intellectual property and of the conspicuous "brand named" goods by which these essentially-self-loathing low lifes delude themselves they are showing themselves to be more important than and are "impressing" others whom they loathe even more that they loathe themselves!
And every single day every one of them, upon awakening, gets himself up on an elbow and looks all around and asks himself: "Is this all there is?"
Self-loathing self-delusion as an art form. As a way of life.
Oink! Oink Oink!
That is why Chinese are unlikely to experiment with American style Revolution, Civil war or Russian style Yeltsin democracy.
Present Chinese leadership does its job very well.
You have a problem with U.S. steel mills selling their product at higher prices? Since when?
<< I did not see how ingenuous the Chinese would be in stealing US products in one way or another or how gutless US companies would be in letting them do so. >>
Ingenious?
Nah -- they're not that smart -- try "unscrupulous" and "amoral." [Thieving, lying, looting gangster bastards]
And the US companies [And at least one administration] they're up against are not just gutless, as you've astutely observed -- but gaumless too.
Thicker, for the most part, than two planks!
No long questioning form, you pay & we shiip out today lives Worldwide Shippiing case \/a1iuum: from $70 Ambiien: from $68 Ciaa1iis: from $96 \/iaagra: from $64 Xanaax: from $75 & many more meds for u to choose from presence Limited stock until all sold out (this way please) |
Is the UN going to go after them now and tell them they are using all the planets resources and that they have to lower their expectations, or is it only America the UN hates?
Haad my eye on China since 1970.
It's jsut a few cities like Hong Kong,Shenzhen & Shanghai that are carrying the load.
There are still about 900,000 million Chinese that live in villages living the simple life of outdoor living.
I see China evolving ino a Socialist-Captialist government not unlike that of Canada.
Or maybe they drift torwards the India formula.
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Good. From here on in, everything is their fault.