They were part of conscious decisions by key political leaders, especially in India and the PRC. Also, the populations of the two countries offer a potential market of over two and a quarter billion.[25] The development of the internal consumer market in these two countries has been a major basis for economic development. This has enabled much higher national growth rates for China and India in comparison to Japan, the EU and even the US.[26] The international cost advantage on goods and services, based on cheaper labor costs, has enabled these two countries to exert a global competitive pressure.[27]