[hkmaxpro]

> India and China were roughly equal in population and GDP if you go back in time before the start of the British empire

Any source for your claims?

The truth:

India population in 1800: 169 million [0]

China population in 1800: 322 million (nearly double India’s)

As for GDP:

China’s GDP (PPP) per capita in 1800: $316K [1]

India’s GDP (PPP) per capita in 1800: $177K

Note this is per capita. Factoring in the population difference, China’s overall GDP (PPP) was almost 4 times that of India. Hardly “roughly equal”.

I’m using 1800 as a reference year since it’s easier to find data for it.

And GDP (PPP) in 1980 (IMF estimates): [2]

China’s GDP (PPP) in 1980: $305K

India’s GDP (PPP) in 1980: $381K

India’s GDP in 1980 actually surpassed China: 4-5 times growth compared to China! (from 1800 to 1980)

This proves the grandparent comment that “IMHO, the root of our previous poverty is arrogance and one man in power (see Mao's policy which had led nation wide famine just because he want to surpass US in a short time”.

India’s population growth nearly doubles China’s (from 1800 to now) . Not surprising that, on average, more Indians are poorer than Chinese.

[0] https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-population-race-a-300-y...

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-2nqd6-ZXg

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_past_and_...

[alexitorg]

It seams India was ahead for most of the past two millennia. Population CHINA INDIA 1AD 59.6M 75.0M 1000AD 59.0M 75.0M 1600AD 160.0M 135.0M 1700AD 138.0M 165.0M 1820AD 318.0M 209.0M

Estimated Real GDP per capita in 2011 USD (cgdppc in source) Selection of roughly comparable dates (note no chinese GDP per capita estimates from before 1661). CHINA INDIA 1600s $940(1661) $1228(1228) 1700s $686(1766) $1103(1750) 1820s $741(1820) $ 968(1821) 1900 $840 $1131 1950 $757 $1417 1980 $1690 $1143 2000 $4071 $2003

I wouldn't take this as gospel. These are estimates put together from patchy historical sources and probably widely innacurate. But it seems to indicate that India was ahead in population for much of the last two thousand years. And ahead of China in GDP per capita for most of the past 400 years.

Source Maddison project, University of Gronigen [0] https://www.rug.nl/ggdc/historicaldevelopment/maddison/relea...

[powerapple]

You don't need to look at 1800 data, because it is irrelevant. If you want to show what CCP did, you have to show the data in range. [2] is the chart comparing India to China from 1950 - 2010, which is the period when CCP is in power. I wish economy, society and history is so easy and everyone can nail down to a single sentence on the root of any economy phenomena. I love how he describe being poor was because of arrogance, lol.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_GDP_of_China

[2] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/GD...

Edit: formatting

[ga6840]

Mao wants to surpass United Kingdom in 15 years and then US. Given China's condition at that time, if that is not arrogance, then it must be at least overestimation of his power.