The Rudd strategy Part II: just how good is China's economy?

Applying only part of the green GDP factor plus a 1 per cent slide in the US economy, in real terms, China's recent 9 per cent GDP growth for 2008 is just above breaking even.

No provision was made for any Kyoto contribution or the impact of the economic crisis.

Is China far more susceptible to a melt down than first thought?

Kyoto

China attempts to hold the developed world to ransom, demanding they pay for China's increasing pollution enabling China to utilise the huge environment cleanup cost to fund its continuing growth program.

It will be interesting and educational to hear China's demands in the current round of talks, especially its continuing developing nation status.

How could a responsible government of a developing nation be taken seriously when it recklessly plundered the national coffers for the billions spent on the extravagance of the Beijing 2008 Olympics?

Responsibly used it could have improved the health of the poor and reduced pollution levels that are also impacting China's population and that of its neighbours.

It is time that China comes to the table as a responsible global citizen rather than the grandstanding bully demanding that the west fix the problems that China has created for itself and are now impacting on the rest of the world.

China's reckless "growth at all cost" policy is unsustainable and needs closer assessment by China and the global community.

Where to in 2009?

The Rudd Government needs to determine if China's economy is real, or is it just an image for global consumption and political expediency projected from behind the veil of an opaque economic system and state secrets?

Could in fact China's robust economy be a fragile house of cards built on shaky policies and phantom numbers.

China has proclaimed that it will increase domestic demand by mega infrastructure projects employing a massive labour force and increase domestic product demand.