At the risk of sounding alarmist, China is in trouble. China watchers from all kinds of backgrounds would probably agree with this statement to some extent. It’s “trouble” in the abstract sense, since we don’t know exactly how it will play out. But it’s hard to look at political, social, economic and environmental trends without getting the feeling that a perfect storm of sorts is brewing. I’ve put together this infographic to try and bring together some ominous signals from several different fields. What it all means, I can’t say for sure, but it’s apparent that in the very near future China will meet challenges unprecedented in the history of mankind. For the sake of China, and realistically, the rest of the world, let’s hope the 5th generation of leaders knows what they’re doing.
Feel free to use this image, please just link back to this site.
Sinostand 
Dude, I actually thought this was the work of a professional studio until I clocked the copyright notice (although that yellow/orange background is a bit garish).
China in trouble? For the record, in my view yes and no. Yes because all the things listed here are problems, no because the fundamentals behind economic growth are still in play. Even the 3.5% y-o-y GDP growth predicted for the end of this decade is far from a disaster.
It’s amazing what Adobe illustrator and too much free time can produce (apparently not good taste though).
Yes, the fundamentals behind economic growth are there and I don’t think anyone’s predicting negative growth for China anytime in the century or so…no matter what happens politically. But a lot of these problems are precisely because of the unchecked pursuit of GDP growth. And you have to consider where the vast majority of that growth is going (not to the people who need it most). Egypt was humming along at nearly 5% GDP growth when it succumbed to the Arab Spring.
Nice infograph.
The water and banking situations worry me the most.
I’m just about to write an essay on the sustainability of the Chinese Economy and wanted to take a moment to thank you for this post, I’m a regular reader and shall get involved in conversation a little more,
[…] best end-of-2011 post has to be Sinostands China on the brink? – An infographic HERE. Excellent writing, but with few comments since I suspect most commenters were plumb tuckered out […]
I look forward to returningto your 9 Brink Points.
In the interim, try this stat from China Daily.
2010 illegal land grabs down 21% in Guangdong
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-12/24/content_14322440.htm
Cool, wonder if A) that’s true B) If it is, if it’s a testament to the Guangdong model.
The Wang/Bo beauty competition. You are forcing me to make an existential choice.
Bo is so retro and his social media drivel won’t gain traction across the social formation.
The average Chinese person is not so stupid.
Chongqing is going with the flow, but when he hits a major political hurdle, they will dump him tres fast as soon the proles are locked into some low cost housing
On top of that I have already noted {twice} that he drives a Jaguar, truly one of the UKs truly crap motoring exports. The Beast 666 of driving dysfunctionality.
Wang. Well he got lucky with so much western media on the ground in Wukan. I would categorise him as a minute-by-minute opportunist. And this time the great unwashed got a welcome reprieve.
He emerged smelling of a light tangy cologne, but it could have played out very differently, and he could have emerged smelling like a skunk.
All the same, I have high hopes for Shenzhen. Probably the best city in the PRC and one I hope to return to soon.
Not polluted and everybody you meet comes from somewhere else. A perfect platform for cross racial miscegenation.