Nation still sober despite economic rise

Though China is very likely to replace Japan as the second largest economic powerhouse this year after the Unites States, the country's economy cannot rival Japan's in per capita GDP (gross domestic product), a fact that the Chinese should be soberly aware of.

And the economic status that China will likely attain is expected to influence the political landscape in East Asia and the world.

Due to its 8.7-percent economic growth last year amid the global recession, China and its move up the global economic ladder have caused some to worry in Japan, which has held the No 2 status for decades, about an about-face in the regional and global political scenes. Critics have called on the Japanese government to reshuffle relations with the US and China to prepare for China's rise.