[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.