China’s future economic model and its effect on the rest of the world
The Chinese economy is characterised by both: Rising sophistication (rapid productivity gains, rising labour force skills, innovation drive); Population ageing (leading to a fall in the savings rate, growth in services). For China, these trends are expected to lead to: China’s gradual exit from low-end industries; The disappearance of its external surplus and a loss of foreign exchange reserves; A more modest growth rate in China, due to the growing weight of services. For the rest of the world: The end of China’s role as a lender to deficit countries; Higher equilibrium interest rates; Increasing competition from China in high-end industries (electronics, internet services, aviation and space, etc.), while China will export fewer cheap basic products.