DBWI: China as the largest economy

samcster94

Banned
(OOC:This China is like an oversized North Korea, except in Hong Kong and Macau, which are still British and Portuguese) China has long been ruled by Mao's family. After Mao died, his wife took over, and his insane grandson(OOC: a fictional person, but has Kim Jong Un's personality) who rules China and is doing missile tests against both Taiwan and Japan, is one of the most hated people in the world right now. What can be done to make China the largest economy?? In OTL, the U.S., the EEC, India, and the USSR are the largest economies in the world.
 
Considering how well the economy did under the KMT I would say the potential is there, but the socialist system that the Maoists use dooms the country. A more liberal and capitalistic model of government, I would argue, makes China at least a second-tier economy in the short term but given how radically Stalin-esque Mao and his successors have been borders on ASB.

Moreover, how does that affect Japan and the Asian tigers? I can't see them having the same success they did IOTL if the Chinese embrace capitalism. You could have an East Asia dominated by China which has weird effects on the Cold War. Maybe the USSR implodes quicker then the 1985 or maybe the balance of Chinese industrialization allows the eastern bloc to hold out longer. The massive subsidies needed to keep China afloat from the USSR and the rest of the Eastern Bloc certainly didn't help the economies of the communist nations. (OOC: the PRC as the DPRK on steroids would be an economic basket case and imho, would make Mao's successors more dependent on the USSR for help).
 
Frankly, anything would be an improvement over Mao and his inbred successors - not only in terms of economics, but the fact hundreds of millions have died under thier mismanagement.

The potential for China is there certainly - look at how India has boomed. At a certain point, having a billion people is an advantage, but then again, unlike India, China doesn't have the advantage of speaking English and warm relations with the USA and the Brits.
 
Have the KMT win the civil war and partition of India carried out? The United Federation of India is the world's largest economy after all. Also, I find it shocking the USSR still props up the mad house called the PRC even though the USSR can hardly be called communist nowadays.
 
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