China is a rapidly emerging economic superpower. Yet China is still far from a high-income country. What does this novel combination mean for China itself and for its place in the world?
In setting out to address that question, we must start with the obvious point. A country with such a huge and growing impact on the world cannot ignore its effect on others. The defining characteristic of such a superpower is that it cannot expect to remain a free rider. What it does and does not do has consequences for the entire global system. As William Shakespeare might have said, China has achieved greatness and now has responsibility thrust upon it.
Defining China’s interests