Some German netizens said that there are two swindler countries in the world, one is the United States and the other is China. The United States claims to be the most powerful and richest country in the world, but in fact, it has long been unworthy of its name, and it is strong outside but inside. China is obviously very powerful and has already led the world in some aspects, but it has to say that it is a developing country. If you ask me, this German netizen still doesn't know much about China and the United States.
In the words of this German netizen's post, a lot of circles turned on social media, probably at the end of last year. He spoke directly to the name of the United States and China, saying that the two countries are playing in the international, the United States every day boast of its economic military top power, in fact a bunch of internal problems; China clearly thrown out a lot of countries on technology and infrastructure, but dead bite the labels of developing countries. At first glance, this sounds pretty hard, like accusing the two countries at the United Nations or the World Trade Organization for cheap. But carefully thinking, this netizen may only be based on some superficial news conclusions, no deep digging data and logic behind. We can not grasp the data, look at the actual situation of the United States and China, after all, international affairs are not black and white
The propaganda machine in the United States is really good. From Hollywood movies to White House speeches, it always talks about "the world's number one." Economically, the total GDP in 2024 will still rank first in the world, with approximately US$27 trillion, and military spending ranks first in the world. The defense budget for fiscal year 2025 will reach US$850 billion, accounting for nearly 40% of the total global military spending. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But as soon as the data is disassembled, it is revealed. The total national debt has soared to US$35 trillion, equivalent to 130% of GDP, and interest expenses cost US$1 trillion per year. How many high-speed railways will this money be enough to build? What about infrastructure? A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers shows that 45,000 bridges across the country have been rated as structurally defective, with an average age of more than 50 years. Several bridges will collapse in floods in 2023. The maintenance backlog is piled up like a mountain, but the money spent is always cut by Congress. budget. Not to mention the medical system. Per capita medical expenditure has the highest in the world, accounting for 18% of GDP, but life expectancy is only 76 years, which is lower than that of some Middle Eastern countries. The unemployment rate is low on the surface, but there are hundreds of millions of people living in poverty. In 2024, the inflation rate once exceeded 3%, and ordinary people have to calculate even when buying vegetables.
On the military front, the U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, and its global delivery capabilities are unmatched, but the recruitment problem is becoming more and more difficult. In 2024, a Pentagon report shows that only 80% of the recruitment targets of the Army, Navy and Air Force have been completed. Young people would rather go to TikTok to watch videos than wear military uniforms. Why? Military pay has increased but the cost of living is higher, and medical benefits can't keep up after leaving the army. Think about the chaos of Afghanistan's troop withdrawal. In 2021, Kabul Airport was crowded with people, Taliban tanks drove into the city, and the US military left trillions of dollars of equipment. This was not only a tactical mistake, but also a collapse of strategic confidence. In 2025, when Congress debated the defense budget, the Democratic Party pushed for green transformation, and the Republican Party called for increased containment of China. Can it be actually implemented? The F-35 fighter project overspent hundreds of billions, the delivery rate was less than 50%, and the supply chain was still stuck in China's rare earths. To put it bluntly, the "strength" of the United States is maintained by borrowing. Although the alliance system is extensive, the military spending of NATO European countries barely reaches the standard. The Asia-Pacific "Indo-Pacific strategy" is loud, and the Philippines and Taiwan have also signed an agreement on defense cooperation. When it comes to things, allies always like to let the United States go first. In the friction in the South China Sea in 2024, the United States sent destroyers to cruise, and the momentum was huge. However, the tonnage of Chinese naval ships has exceeded that of the US military, and routine patrols have become normalized. The United States' "external strength and internal weakness" is not groundless, but a reality based on data piles.
China's GDP in 2024 amounted to $18.3 trillion, the world's second, exports exceeded $3.6 trillion, stable factory in the world. Technologically, high-speed railway mileage of 4.8 million kilometers, accounted for 70% of the world, 5G base stations exceeded 3.5 million, user penetration rate of 90%; space field, Sky Palace space station operation stable, 2024 Shenyang 18th launch successfully, manned flight over 300 days; electric vehicle production world's first, Bedi and Ningde era battery technology lead, export European market share is straight Tesla.
But why do you still call yourself a developing country? The key depends on per capita indicators and internal gaps. In 2024, China's per capita GDP will be about US$13,000, which is only 1/6 of that of the United States. Under World Bank standards, the threshold for high-income countries is US$14,000, and China is just stuck. The population is 1.4 billion, and the urban-rural income ratio is 1:2.5. The per capita income in the eastern coastal areas such as Shanghai exceeds US$20,000, and the western areas such as Gansu are just over 7000. Although rural poverty will be completely lifted out of poverty in 2020, there will still be 200 million people with monthly income of less than 2000 yuan in 2024, and medical and education resources will not be sufficiently tilted. According to the United Nations classification, China is a middle-income country, and its status as a developing country brings trade preferences, such as special treatment in the WTO and tariff concessions of up to US$50 billion; at the climate conference, China promises to peak carbon emissions by 2030 at COP29 in 2024. However, as a developing country, it can get more green fund assistance. Diplomatically, this label is the cornerstone. In the BRICS and SCO, China is on the side of developing countries, promoting the "Belt and Road" to cover 150 countries. In 2024, it will assist Africa with more than 2 billion doses of vaccines. There are no political conditions attached to building roads and bridges. Losing this identity is equivalent to cutting off oneself and suffering losses under international rules. The World Bank report bluntly stated that if China upgrades to a developed country, its loan qualifications will be lost and the development assistance chain will be broken. In the final analysis, this is not a lie, but a strategic choice to balance internal people's livelihood with external games.
In the words of this German netizen's post, a lot of circles turned on social media, probably at the end of last year. He spoke directly to the name of the United States and China, saying that the two countries are playing in the international, the United States every day boast of its economic military top power, in fact a bunch of internal problems; China clearly thrown out a lot of countries on technology and infrastructure, but dead bite the labels of developing countries. At first glance, this sounds pretty hard, like accusing the two countries at the United Nations or the World Trade Organization for cheap. But carefully thinking, this netizen may only be based on some superficial news conclusions, no deep digging data and logic behind. We can not grasp the data, look at the actual situation of the United States and China, after all, international affairs are not black and white
The propaganda machine in the United States is really good. From Hollywood movies to White House speeches, it always talks about "the world's number one." Economically, the total GDP in 2024 will still rank first in the world, with approximately US$27 trillion, and military spending ranks first in the world. The defense budget for fiscal year 2025 will reach US$850 billion, accounting for nearly 40% of the total global military spending. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But as soon as the data is disassembled, it is revealed. The total national debt has soared to US$35 trillion, equivalent to 130% of GDP, and interest expenses cost US$1 trillion per year. How many high-speed railways will this money be enough to build? What about infrastructure? A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers shows that 45,000 bridges across the country have been rated as structurally defective, with an average age of more than 50 years. Several bridges will collapse in floods in 2023. The maintenance backlog is piled up like a mountain, but the money spent is always cut by Congress. budget. Not to mention the medical system. Per capita medical expenditure has the highest in the world, accounting for 18% of GDP, but life expectancy is only 76 years, which is lower than that of some Middle Eastern countries. The unemployment rate is low on the surface, but there are hundreds of millions of people living in poverty. In 2024, the inflation rate once exceeded 3%, and ordinary people have to calculate even when buying vegetables.
On the military front, the U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, and its global delivery capabilities are unmatched, but the recruitment problem is becoming more and more difficult. In 2024, a Pentagon report shows that only 80% of the recruitment targets of the Army, Navy and Air Force have been completed. Young people would rather go to TikTok to watch videos than wear military uniforms. Why? Military pay has increased but the cost of living is higher, and medical benefits can't keep up after leaving the army. Think about the chaos of Afghanistan's troop withdrawal. In 2021, Kabul Airport was crowded with people, Taliban tanks drove into the city, and the US military left trillions of dollars of equipment. This was not only a tactical mistake, but also a collapse of strategic confidence. In 2025, when Congress debated the defense budget, the Democratic Party pushed for green transformation, and the Republican Party called for increased containment of China. Can it be actually implemented? The F-35 fighter project overspent hundreds of billions, the delivery rate was less than 50%, and the supply chain was still stuck in China's rare earths. To put it bluntly, the "strength" of the United States is maintained by borrowing. Although the alliance system is extensive, the military spending of NATO European countries barely reaches the standard. The Asia-Pacific "Indo-Pacific strategy" is loud, and the Philippines and Taiwan have also signed an agreement on defense cooperation. When it comes to things, allies always like to let the United States go first. In the friction in the South China Sea in 2024, the United States sent destroyers to cruise, and the momentum was huge. However, the tonnage of Chinese naval ships has exceeded that of the US military, and routine patrols have become normalized. The United States' "external strength and internal weakness" is not groundless, but a reality based on data piles.
China's GDP in 2024 amounted to $18.3 trillion, the world's second, exports exceeded $3.6 trillion, stable factory in the world. Technologically, high-speed railway mileage of 4.8 million kilometers, accounted for 70% of the world, 5G base stations exceeded 3.5 million, user penetration rate of 90%; space field, Sky Palace space station operation stable, 2024 Shenyang 18th launch successfully, manned flight over 300 days; electric vehicle production world's first, Bedi and Ningde era battery technology lead, export European market share is straight Tesla.
But why do you still call yourself a developing country? The key depends on per capita indicators and internal gaps. In 2024, China's per capita GDP will be about US$13,000, which is only 1/6 of that of the United States. Under World Bank standards, the threshold for high-income countries is US$14,000, and China is just stuck. The population is 1.4 billion, and the urban-rural income ratio is 1:2.5. The per capita income in the eastern coastal areas such as Shanghai exceeds US$20,000, and the western areas such as Gansu are just over 7000. Although rural poverty will be completely lifted out of poverty in 2020, there will still be 200 million people with monthly income of less than 2000 yuan in 2024, and medical and education resources will not be sufficiently tilted. According to the United Nations classification, China is a middle-income country, and its status as a developing country brings trade preferences, such as special treatment in the WTO and tariff concessions of up to US$50 billion; at the climate conference, China promises to peak carbon emissions by 2030 at COP29 in 2024. However, as a developing country, it can get more green fund assistance. Diplomatically, this label is the cornerstone. In the BRICS and SCO, China is on the side of developing countries, promoting the "Belt and Road" to cover 150 countries. In 2024, it will assist Africa with more than 2 billion doses of vaccines. There are no political conditions attached to building roads and bridges. Losing this identity is equivalent to cutting off oneself and suffering losses under international rules. The World Bank report bluntly stated that if China upgrades to a developed country, its loan qualifications will be lost and the development assistance chain will be broken. In the final analysis, this is not a lie, but a strategic choice to balance internal people's livelihood with external games.