US fear-mongering breeds real danger in the region

David Harsanyi, senior editor of the US Web magazine The Federalist could not be more correct in observing: "Perception is everything in politics. And we believe a lot of ridiculous things."

He was talking about voter anxiety in the United States, and pointed out to readers that "China's economic supremacy is a myth".

We could not agree more. At home and abroad, there is a tendency to ignore the essential per capita aspect when evaluating the Chinese economy.