A recent article by Andy Maheshwari published on AT about China's rise ("China and America: Rising Dragon, Bleeding Eagle") was way off the mark. Its author made numerous factual errors which beg correction.(see author's response here)Firstly, even if the fertility rate in China is indeed 1.7-1.8 child per woman (the CIA says it's 1.54 child per woman), it's still well below the minimum level needed for population replacement (2.1 child per woman). If China continues with such a rate, its society will eventually age out and its pensions spending will skyrocket - just like in Europe. It takes two to tango. You can't sustain a population without 2.1 children/woman. Ask any demographer and he will confirm this.Mr Maheshwari also pointed to China's high-speed trains (which almost no one rides) as examples that China is building worthy stuff.The truth is, as has been proven over and over again, including in China, high-speed trains are useless. They constitute a waste of money...(Read Full Post)