Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with you

The word zhongguo means China, but its direct translation means middle nation, or as locals say, Middle Kingdom. The Chinese have always believed they were in the center of everything and for the next few weeks they are. More than 1 million foreign guests are rolling into Beijing this week and will witness China's coming of age.

China's great leap forward into the 21st century is one of history's great ironies. Some time in the latter part of the next decade this socialist state will overtake capitalist America to become the world's richest nation. According to the OECD, China's purchasing power parity will be $30 trillion by 2020, ahead of the US's $28 trillion.

Scottish right-wing economist, Adam Smith, must be rolling in his grave.