– China, Growing Superpower

China envisions its rise as an economic superpower
Business Report - South Africa

Beijing - Continued economic growth will propel China to the status of an "advanced developed country" in the second half of this century, state media reported Monday.

The prediction was made by a group of government researchers under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, publishing their views in the China Modernisation Report 2005, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The researchers expect China to become a "moderately developed country" in 2050 before joining the ranks of the world's "most industrialised countries" by the end of the century, according to the agency.

The report did not provide details about the standards which the researchers believed China would have to meet in order to fit into the various categories.

It may, however, give hints of the government's vision for the future beyond 2020, an oft-cited date when the leaders expect the arrival of a "moderately well-off society." - AFP