Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin is starting a new series on China:
I’ll be looking at “the other China” as part of a two-week Gatekeepers Editors’ Trip to China sponsored by the International Reporting Project at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. We’ll be traveling to rural areas in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces. We’ll be looking at China’s urban-rural divide, at the pressing environmental and health issues the country faces. We’ll also be examining the economic challenges China must confront if it is to close its rising gap between rich and poor – and maintain stability at home.
China’s level of development matters to the rest of the world for many reasons. For example, a China still focused primarily on domestic development is less likely to pursue adventures abroad (although its search for resources to fuel its growth has led to a much more active foreign policy). And a China that considers itself part of the developing world will be less willing to commit to the emissions targets sought by industrialized nations to combat global warming.
Yet, China’s growth spurt is so constant, its evolution so dynamic, that its global economic status is difficult to define.
