Abstract
China is at the heart of the present-day economic debate. China is indisputably booming economically. Its enormous growth rate attests of this evolution; all economists agree on this assertion. What seems more debatable at the moment is the impact this rise could have on the global economy, and its corollary, what response the States should bring to this economic change, if there is any. The answer to these questions could be easy, if studied in terms of economic ideologies: on the one hand, supporters of free-trade could consider this rise as beneficial to the whole economy, since it brings an enormous market and could entail a decrease of prices. On the other hand, for others, it could jeopardize the national economies, undermining the employment. But wouldn't it be naïve to think that way? The question, very complex, seems to transcend economic ideologies. Indeed, I agree with O. Shenkar when he intends to explain, in The Chinese Century, to what extent the rise of China is not similar to the forms of development which we have been able to observe up to now. What makes the case of China unique is its ability to both climb the technology ladder and keep a comparative advantage in activities requiring low-cost labour-force; therefore, we can imagine that the impact of China could be double-edged for the global economy.
