[derrickpetzold]

Spain became ridiculously wealthy after its conquest of the Aztecs and Incas at the beginning of the 16th century but by the end of the century it was bankrupt. I am not saying that China would be as foolish as the Spaniards in squandering their wealth but I am saying there is precedence for it and it does seem like retaining wealth is far more difficult then creating it. Japan would be another case in point. It will be very interesting to see what China's strategy is. It does look like they are reaching the end of the road on their current path especially with America's financial markets being what they are.

[jcampbell1]

The chinese have become wealthy because their people are producing more. Their farms produce the same amount of food, while the children are making things in factories. The world, and china, is richer because the chinese people are make more of the things the world needs.

Filling ships full of gold can only make people temporarily rich. Investing in gold is paying someone in south africa to dig rocks out of the ground and melt them down, then paying someone in kentucky to dig a hole and store it. China has contributed much more to the world than 16th century spanish gold thieves.