Dear friends, even if China is able to rival the US, is China ready to use her resources for the good of our global village? Will this rivalry stimulate US to do more for its neighbors? Sorry, you may not agree with me. As I see it, to have the innovative power is good, to do GOOD to others with that is BETTER.

Dear friends, even if China is able to rival the US, is China ready to use her resources for the good of our global village? Will this rivalry stimulate US to do more for its neighbors? Sorry, you may not agree with me. As I see it, to have the innovative power is good, to do GOOD to others with that is BETTER.

Dear Miranda,

Innovation and its impact on economic growth is the topic for discussion. Though I do not disagree with you. What you are saying is just another topic.

It's fine, Mohamed. Have a good day.

I think, China has the potential of giving a challenge to US in this regard.

It has done extremely well on investment in higher education. I know of many Western friends who go to China to teach courses in Chinese universities at Western salaries.

This is remarkable in a developing country. Being a state having no opposition, it is possible there. It is impossible for such a thing to happen in India where the opposition parties have vested interests and oppose suggestions keeping in view power politics in view.. India has not been able to bring in FDI in retail due to these vested interests.

Chinese are learning English very fast, which will connect them to the developed world at the intellectual level at a still faster rate. It is believed that very soon China will have the largest English-knowing population in the world.

Also, of the top 200 universities in the world, from the Asian region, china has the highest number. Their research output far exceeds that of Indian universities

These are all very promising indicators, which speak of China's capability to give a very tough time to the US in time to come in the area of innovation as well.

Time has not reached yet to comment anything conclusive by predicting future. The performance of China in health, education, research, business and sports are certainly amazing and it definitely has the potential to be an innovation powerhouse.

Mean while USA will also not just seat relaxed to watch the giant jump of Chinese innovations, USA will also act accordingly to stay at the top.

China has the world's largest population with plentiful natural resources. It is the world's largest producer of gold, rice, wheat, and may other commodities. Thus, China is expected to rival the US as an innovation powerhouse.

Let´s use objective figures to answer this question. Chinese economic growth is considerable, and is rivaling the rate of growth of the United States.  But as the world economy stands right now in 2013-14, in absolute terms the U.S. stands far ahead of China.  The C.I.A. world fact book shows that in 1913, U.S. Gross National Product was $16,950,000,  as compared with China´s $9,720,000.  Furthermore, in 2014 the U.S. Gross National Product hit its all-time high, and at the present moment the U.S. Stock Market  is showing record gains. 

So yes, China can try to challenge the U.S. in RATE of growth (a relative figure), but China still has far to travel even to get into the ballpark with the U.S. economy.  As Amritlal correctly points out, the U.S. will not sit still as China tries to catch up to it.  As a U.S. citizen, I am forced to conclude by the facts that China with its potential can become a considerable rival of the U.S. in inventiveness, but that right now the U.S. remains way out in front.

Recent evidence of U.S. inventiveness is shale as source of oil, presently driving down the world price of crude oil per barrel. So China has plentiful natural resources, but so does the U.S., and U.S. inventiveness can lead to discovery of new natural resources.

By seeing the till date potential, China is the country that has the potential of giving a challenge to US in innovation.

Roland, 1000 yrs. ago and even in the Middle Ages, the U.S. did not even exist. History is not repeatable, except for some historians who like to lose themselves in glittering generalities.

SO: who knows if, 1000 yrs. in the future, China and the U.S. will continue to exist, and if they do, maybe another rival(s) will arise to challenge their economies and inventiveness.

China will shows large developments, but as we all have experienced, they commit big faults. Just remember all the smog problems.  Their potential is very high.

Dear @Mohamed, I think that building a solid base is essential to reach the top. Did China build a solid base or not? Does China have human rights issues and many related issues? The ability to solve these issues will determine whether China stays on the right track or not.

Who could reach the level of controlling global economic, and keep his foot going forward, will be the first as an innovation power.

Innovation comes when challenged, while classification is human creativity be it within people, country, etc.,

The benefit is to the human kind, There is no permanent winner or losers it is only CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

China population is very high, it needs to be dynamic and enterprising to explore new markets so that the people prosper after they had pressed upon the economic mode as against the communism. They are really very creative and industrious.

1 US Dollar equals 6.12 Chinese Yuan

1 US Dollar equals 61.41 Indian Rupee

For now China is better than India in Money value.

It looks like world's economic equilibrium has been upset. Let us see in years to come who wins the race.

 Is it important to win the race in numbers of grow. Is the slowing down of economics in order to meditate about the meaning of grow, the purpose, the consequences for the neighbours and the environment not of a more important order?

Dear Cecelia,

Today I read somewhere a statement that gives me cause for concern, and it is that our children do not have as many opportunities as we had. If this is so, then our society does and will have less conviction of its own importance. The work ethic in the U.S. has clearly declined, and it is only a matter of time till the GNP declines. We as educators need to fight against this trend with every breath, and even 12 yrs. after retirement I continue the fight, albeit in my own small way.

China's technology organizations begin to set trends in telecommunications, mobile devices and online services. China population can help them in this concern.

When I see from another angle, observing that the last century was the century of development in Physics, and this century‘s first decade saw world economic crisis; when we face crisis we look for new solutions and every crisis follows victory, so it looks like this century will be the century of the development and innovations in economics. The just beginning we are witnessing. This is wonderful age that we are in: the East has lots of enlightenment, while the West is full of innovations. When enlightenment and innovations are combined together, whole world will reap great fruits of economic development and the people from everywhere will get benefits.

Hello, 

Well, in the long run it can be the case, especially if is continously supported with the huge state money... I understood from your question that you ask about high technology innovation, but there are nations, which are not highly inventive, but are the masters in implementation of the innovations created elsewhere (like Japan or Germany). 

I have not studeid this extensively, but as far as i know, Chinese seem to be very good and flexible imitators, so if they add to this their own inventions.... the speed they will develop will amaze the rest of the world...

Appropriation to technologies has been Chinese catch-up plan since the early 1980s.  Prior to the 16th century China was a leader in innovation on-and-off for two millennia or more.

China needs to promote the innovation you speak of but this would involve a lot more freedom on the part of investors and individuals who are not only near-sighted nor only farsighted.