The one difference between China and India is that of Democracy. Even though both the nations boast of a corrupt governance system, yet the fact that in India, a non functioning government is more likely to get kicked out by an increasingly well aware population, makes it a safer bet in the long term I guess.<p>To Quote Thomas Friedman[0]:<p>&quot;If India and China were both highways, the Chinese highway would be a six-lane, perfectly paved road, but with a huge speed bump off in the distance labeled &quot;Political reform: how in the world do we get from Communism to a more open society?&quot; When 1.3 billion people going 80 miles an hour hit a speed bump, one of two things happens: Either the car flies into the air and slams down, and all the parts hold together and it keeps on moving -- or the car flies into the air, slams down and all the wheels fall off. Which it will be with China, I don&#x27;t know. India, by contrast, is like a highway full of potholes, with no sidewalks and half the streetlamps broken. But off in the distance, the road seems to smooth out, and if it does, this country will be a dynamo. The question is: Is that smoother road in the distance a mirage or the real thing?&quot;<p>[0] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2005&#x2F;06&#x2F;08&#x2F;opinion&#x2F;bangalore-hot-and-hotter.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2005&#x2F;06&#x2F;08&#x2F;opinion&#x2F;bangalore-hot-and-...</a>