I&#x27;ve yet to not be astonished by the pace of development and change in China, despite my frequent trips there since the mid-90s.<p>Especially in the hinterland... it&#x27;s really night and day. Literally in a year you go from farms to skyscrapers. Crazy fast development.<p>The world is starting to notice though... now you see more Chinese middle-class tourists, more Chinese students (not the smart ones who just goto the ivies, but the rich mediocre students in community &#x2F; for-profit &#x2F; tertiary colleges), and real estate investors (which is starting to be a huge problem in Cali, PNW, etc.).<p>This is nothing but a road bump for China. The Chinese are hungry as hell. I don&#x27;t really think the west fully appreciates their cultural drive.<p>The bigger story I don&#x27;t see much mention of in the press is the growing dilemma facing Europe. Do they ally themselves with America or the growing East. This will grow to become a key political concern for the EU in the next 10-20-30 years.