Piero Ostellino 2011/07/10
The new world
Following World War II, a new international system arose, characterised politically by the primacy of the large, liberal, democratic countries that had emerged as victors from the war, and financially by the dollar as the reference currency. This new system developed as a result of several factors. One was the breakup of the Soviet Union as a global power, the immediate direct effect of which was to downgrade the Russian Federation to the level of “emerging power”.
Zhou Hong 2011/07/10
The dawn of the new world
In the last few decades, there have been dramatic shifts of powers in the world we live in. Those shifts fundamentally influence our lives and way of thinking by challenging the existing notions of international relations. As a result of those shifts, the international system which emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War has been greatly transformed.
Martin Wolf 2011/01/18
East and west are in it together
Size matters. If we look only at China’s average level of development, we see a country with much the same standard of living as Thailand. If we look only at China’s size, we see what is already the world’s second largest economy, biggest exporter (if members of the European Union are treated as separate economies), second largest importer and holder of the largest stock of foreign currency reserves.
Yu Yongding 2011/01/18
A rising China’s place in the world economy
After 30 years of breakneck growth, China overtook Japan to become the world’s second largest economy in 2010. The reaction in the West to this stunning success has been mixed. It boils down to one question: what role will China play in the world?