Matt Khoury | August 1st, 2010
Share It’s where the ancient biblical story Jonah and the Whale took place. Now SDE Energy builds tidal energy plant in Jaffa, which should expand to 50 MW.
The ancient port city of Jaffa, today a part of Tel Aviv, has added one more attraction to its historical harbor as a new sea wave power plant is completed.
The Israeli tidal wave energy firm S.D.E. have completed the construction of its first large scale sea wave power plant capable of producing 60 KWh.
The new plant only has one buoy and is fully automated with only 10 percent of it in the water so to minimize the risk of damage to the system by storms and other natural disasters. The company already has business in China, India, and in Africa.
The plant which is the ninth completed by the firm is the initial part of a plan the will lead to a 50 MW plant in the breakwaters of Jaffa, when finished to new plant will not only provide cost efficient renewable centricity to the port but also prevent the erosion of the breakwater usually caused by high wave. The firm has come to an agreement with Israel’s Electric Company to sell the electricity from the news plant at of 12 cents per KW.
SDE, which has received support from the office of the Chief Scientist of Israel, Ministry of Industry and Trade, hope that the new plant will be the springboard for a larger expansion outside Israel.
“There was an intensive interest in S.D.E’s unique technology even before SDE had an operational model; however, now, when SDE has an operational model, I believe that the development and growth of the company will be unstoppable,” Inna Braverman International Marketing and business development Manager of the group of SDE companies said in a press release.
Among the factors the SDE says speaks in their advantage includes a competitive price: The erection cost of a 1MW S.D.E’s power station starts from $650,000 while a comparable station costs $1,500,000 from coal, $900,000 from natural gas, $3,000,000 from solar sources, and $1,500,000 from wind.”
The system that S.D.E has developed is able to supply 500 times more than the electricity requirements of the whole world population according the company.
While the possibility to create renewable energy from wave is huge, after all most of the planet is cover by water, the technology is only is still considered to be experimental.
The energy is produced by electricity generators placed on the surface of the sea and the output is determined by a combination of factors such as wave height, wavelength, wave speed and the density of the water.
The technology of producing electricity from sea waves is innovative and a leading method worldwide. Pollution and global warming as a result of fuel usage have taught the world that the largest world resource to create electricity is sea waves. The system has the highest efficiency in the world by the new method and is offered for a very attractive price. SDE had international patent and also patents pending.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Cutting waste to landfill will mean incinerators and slop buckets
Households that agree to have incinerators built in their backyard could be given discounts on their fuel bills under plans to tackle ‘Nimbyism’ and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM BST 30 Jul 2010
Separate food waste collections are likely to be introduced and more incinerators and anaerobic digesters will be needed to process biodegradable waste. Photo: GETTY The Government’s plans for zero waste means that 'useful' rubbish, like food, will no longer be dumped in landfill.
It could mean separate collections for food scraps with hundreds of incinerators or anaerobic digesters being built to process the biodegrabale waste.
Waste review will lead to more slop buckets But the controversial 'energy from waste plants' struggle to get planning permission as local people fear the factories will look ugly and pump out dangerous pollutants.
Under plans in a new waste review, the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) recommends community ownership of the plants. This could mean that local households get a discount on their fuel bills for allowing a plant to be built in their area.
The idea of paying communities to welcome controversial projects like wind farms and incinerators is already common on the Continent.
However environmentalists said cash rewards will not persuade communities to allow damaging factories in their backyards.
The UK has to reduce landfill by 75 per cent on 1995 levels by 2013 or face billions of pounds worth of fines from Europe.
The waste review suggests a ban on dumping biodegradable waste like food in landfill. This will mean slop buckets in most people’s homes as food waste will have to be collected separately. Already one in four councils collect food waste separately and more are expected to follow.
It also means the Government will have to build 500 new energy from waste plants to deal with the biodegradable waste.
Alan Whitehead, the Labour MP and chairman of the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group, said communities will have to accept more waste plants if the UK is to meet targets on cutting landfill.
“Something is going to have to change in terms of how we manage our waste,” he said. “You can do that by telling people they are going to have a great big waste plant next door or you can do it by discussing it with the local people and encouraging community ownership.”
But Julian Kirby, Friends of the Earth’s resource use campaigner, said communities would not accept incinerators.
“Suggesting people will accept incinerators if they come in pretty buildings with a cash reward belittles the valid arguments that communities have against them,” he said.
“Incinerators trap councils in decades-long costly contracts and belch out climate changing gases.”
In a move to away from more draconian rules on waste, the review also suggest cutting the number of wheelie bins outside people's homes and bringing back weekly bin collections.
It talks about a new deal to get supermarkets to cut packaging on toys and household appliances, as well as groceries.
Recycling will be encouraged by offering awards rather than fining people.
Businesses will be asked to take more responsibility for recycling and use more recycled materials in construction and manufacturing.
Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, said the UK should not be sending any waste to landfill that can be used to generate energy.
"We are committed to working towards a zero waste economy because it makes environmental and economic sense.
"Reducing waste needs to be made as easy as possible for people, it should be driven by incentives not penalties and common sense rather than coercion," she said.
"We want everyone to have their say on what waste policies should look like and how existing policies affect them."
By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM BST 30 Jul 2010
Separate food waste collections are likely to be introduced and more incinerators and anaerobic digesters will be needed to process biodegradable waste. Photo: GETTY The Government’s plans for zero waste means that 'useful' rubbish, like food, will no longer be dumped in landfill.
It could mean separate collections for food scraps with hundreds of incinerators or anaerobic digesters being built to process the biodegrabale waste.
Waste review will lead to more slop buckets But the controversial 'energy from waste plants' struggle to get planning permission as local people fear the factories will look ugly and pump out dangerous pollutants.
Under plans in a new waste review, the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) recommends community ownership of the plants. This could mean that local households get a discount on their fuel bills for allowing a plant to be built in their area.
The idea of paying communities to welcome controversial projects like wind farms and incinerators is already common on the Continent.
However environmentalists said cash rewards will not persuade communities to allow damaging factories in their backyards.
The UK has to reduce landfill by 75 per cent on 1995 levels by 2013 or face billions of pounds worth of fines from Europe.
The waste review suggests a ban on dumping biodegradable waste like food in landfill. This will mean slop buckets in most people’s homes as food waste will have to be collected separately. Already one in four councils collect food waste separately and more are expected to follow.
It also means the Government will have to build 500 new energy from waste plants to deal with the biodegradable waste.
Alan Whitehead, the Labour MP and chairman of the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group, said communities will have to accept more waste plants if the UK is to meet targets on cutting landfill.
“Something is going to have to change in terms of how we manage our waste,” he said. “You can do that by telling people they are going to have a great big waste plant next door or you can do it by discussing it with the local people and encouraging community ownership.”
But Julian Kirby, Friends of the Earth’s resource use campaigner, said communities would not accept incinerators.
“Suggesting people will accept incinerators if they come in pretty buildings with a cash reward belittles the valid arguments that communities have against them,” he said.
“Incinerators trap councils in decades-long costly contracts and belch out climate changing gases.”
In a move to away from more draconian rules on waste, the review also suggest cutting the number of wheelie bins outside people's homes and bringing back weekly bin collections.
It talks about a new deal to get supermarkets to cut packaging on toys and household appliances, as well as groceries.
Recycling will be encouraged by offering awards rather than fining people.
Businesses will be asked to take more responsibility for recycling and use more recycled materials in construction and manufacturing.
Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, said the UK should not be sending any waste to landfill that can be used to generate energy.
"We are committed to working towards a zero waste economy because it makes environmental and economic sense.
"Reducing waste needs to be made as easy as possible for people, it should be driven by incentives not penalties and common sense rather than coercion," she said.
"We want everyone to have their say on what waste policies should look like and how existing policies affect them."
The age of the bicycle
Cost-saving, climate change concerns, and a desire to emulate Britain's elite cyclists are all prompting an increasing number of people to abandon the car and take to two wheels
By Susie Mesure
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Britain is on the brink of a freewheeling revolution. A bicycle boom is under way across the UK, with more and more people rediscovering the joy of two wheels rather than four. Sales of bikes have soared and cyclists are travelling further, according to latest figures. The rise of pedal power is poised to accelerate, as cities from Bristol to York invest millions of pounds in new cycling infrastructure.
New government research reveals that the number of miles cycled on average last year leapt 10 per cent, while the average distance rose 17 per cent. While bike sales have gone up by more than 25 per cent in the past three years, spending on new cars fell by 13 per cent in the same period, according to the National Travel Survey.
The upward trend has been most marked in the south of England: 8 per cent of inner London residents and one in 25 workers in the South-east and South-west say they cycle to work, according to the survey, which interviewed around 20,000 people.
But it is not only commuters who are behind the increase. Organisers of sportive events such as the Forest of Dean Classic, held around Monmouth, or next month's Tour of Worcestershire, have reported record demand for places from amateur cycling enthusiasts. It took only seven minutes for 300 extra places for the 190km Verenti Dragon Ride, held in South Wales in June, to sell out, while 4,500 riders saddled up for the 130km Etape Caledonia in Perthshire in May, 50 per cent more than last year.
Patrick Trainor, who promotes sports rides for organisations such as Wheels in Wheels, said cyclists are entering events to test themselves without racing. "Sportives make riding in different places attractive as the route is marked out for you and nutrition and back-up are taken care of," he said. A host of smaller events, including the Independent's own inaugural London to Brighton Bike Ride on 11 September, have sprung up to cater for the increase in interest.
Today the centre of Manchester will be closed to vehicles for one of 13 Sky Rides taking place this year – eight more than last year. Ian Drake, the chief executive of British Cycling, which is supporting the Sky Rides, said: "Cycling is booming and we are seeing an unprecedented growth in the number of people cycling regularly, currently 1.88 million people cycle at least once a week." He added that Sky Rides had prompted more than 100,000 people to "dust off their bikes and explore their city on two wheels". The organisation is aiming to get a million more people cycling regularly by 2013 and said its membership had risen in the past two years to more than 32,000, compared with 22,000 in 2007.
Much of the surge in interest was sparked by Britain's 34 medals in the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. "Cycling is Britain's most successful sport, and of course there are the health, transport and environmental advantages being promoted by the Government. The recession has also helped encourage people to get on their bikes as a more economic way to travel," a British Cycling spokeswoman added.
The former chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, last year recommended the Government set national targets to increase travel by bicycle eightfold. Boris Johnson, the bicycling Mayor of London, ultimately wants one in five journeys in the capital to be made by bike – a level not reached since 1904. Today, cycling accounts for only 2 per cent of journeys in the capital.
Evidence of the cycling boom came as Mr Johnson launched his so-called "Boris bikes", 5,000 cycles that can be hired from 315 docking stations across the city by the half-hour for as little as 12p per day. A number of other cities, including Liverpool, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle, have shown interest in similar schemes, according to , the national cyclists' organisation CTC.
Carlton Reid, executive editor of BikeBiz, a trade magazine, said the London scheme, which follows the Vélib network launched in Paris in 2007, would have a "massive impact on cycling in London and elsewhere". But he warned that infrastructure still needed to be vastly improved to entice more people on to two wheels. "The Government is slowly realising that it won't get an increase in cycling unless motorists are tamed," he said. "Too many cycle routes, especially in London, aren't joined up, leaving cyclists to be spat out in the middle of junctions."
The National Travel Survey, which covered personal travel made in Great Britain during 2009, showed that the average distance travelled per person by bicycle was 46 miles, compared with 42 miles the previous year, the average trip distance rising to 2.8 miles from 2.4 miles. Chris Peck, CTC's policy co-ordinator, said: "We expected that the recession, along with high fuel prices, would lead to an increase in cycling. The growth is particularly associated with those in the highest income bracket, which may be as a result of the boom in leisure cycling and commuting by bike."
The figures revealed a class split in cycling: in households in the top fifth of income brackets, 77 miles were cycled per person. In the lowest two such quintiles, only 32 miles were cycled per household member. A bike can cost anything from £65 to £1,000. Men in their forties are among the keenest cyclists. But young people are cycling less, because of road safety fears, the report showed: the number of trips by a typical teenager has plummeted from 70 a year in the early Nineties to 28.
Born again: Joseph Byrne, 28, IT consultant
This is my Boris bike! It's like a Dutch bike. I grew up in Holland so I quite like that. It's a good relaxed bike – you can sit upright, relax your shoulders, and take a good look at the world. It glides along. It's been about 12 years since I last rode a bike. It's got drum brakes, so if it rains it doesn't really affect it. You can store stuff on it that you buy. Security's not an issue with this. I live on the fifth floor, so I just park it in a bay about two minutes up the road from me.
Fold-up: Jasna Jevremovic, 22, medical student
This is a Brompton, which is an English design. I've had it for two-and-a-half years and I mostly use it to get to work. Having said that, I do use it every day. I even used it to cycle to Paris. It's fantastic for the city. The gears are in the hub so it doesn't get dirty. I'm from Serbia and I cycled more there. I used to have a road bike there. I find cycling easy, convenient, and it's great if I buy something because I can just carry it on the bike.
DIY-er: Laura Udeh, 46, civil servant
It's a Pioneer Metro GLX. It's a basic bike. I promise it's not a Boris bike! I've had it for about five years, and I look after it. The springy bits are for the bumps. I use it to get to work. You buy the gear, the helmet and everything once, and other than that you just service it. That costs about £45. I want to learn to service it myself, mostly because it would be a nightmare if I got a flat tyre. I need to be able to change it myself, I think.
Road racer: Ali Moazed, 36, fund manager
This is a Bianchi. I'm an amateur, but it looks cool. I use it a couple of times a week. I've only had it for about five months. I started cycling again to get into shape but it's also a good way to get to work, especially in the summer. The only costs are the bike and maintenance. It cost about £600, so that's a good deal.
Fixie fan: Kavah Iyati, 27, musician
This is a fixed-wheel bike. It's old, from 1953, and I've had it about a year. It was a gift from a friend, and I changed it to a fixed-wheel for about £20 – I can control it better now. I use it every day – I'm a musician so I use it to go to rehearsals, to the studio, to friends, to my home. It all adds up. Before, I took the bus or other public transport, but this is cheaper.
Bargain hunter: Teresa Macauley, chef
I've had this Raleigh bike for about a month. I bought my other bike for £50 down Portobello market, but it wasn't very good – in fact it was really dodgy. So I bought this one instead – it cost about £200. It's faster and cheaper than public transport and good exercise. I use it to get to and from where I work in Mayfair, central London, which is about three miles from where I live. It can be scary on my bike: I have been cut up once, and – you're not going to believe this – by a police car.
Interviews by Pavan Amara
By Susie Mesure
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Britain is on the brink of a freewheeling revolution. A bicycle boom is under way across the UK, with more and more people rediscovering the joy of two wheels rather than four. Sales of bikes have soared and cyclists are travelling further, according to latest figures. The rise of pedal power is poised to accelerate, as cities from Bristol to York invest millions of pounds in new cycling infrastructure.
New government research reveals that the number of miles cycled on average last year leapt 10 per cent, while the average distance rose 17 per cent. While bike sales have gone up by more than 25 per cent in the past three years, spending on new cars fell by 13 per cent in the same period, according to the National Travel Survey.
The upward trend has been most marked in the south of England: 8 per cent of inner London residents and one in 25 workers in the South-east and South-west say they cycle to work, according to the survey, which interviewed around 20,000 people.
But it is not only commuters who are behind the increase. Organisers of sportive events such as the Forest of Dean Classic, held around Monmouth, or next month's Tour of Worcestershire, have reported record demand for places from amateur cycling enthusiasts. It took only seven minutes for 300 extra places for the 190km Verenti Dragon Ride, held in South Wales in June, to sell out, while 4,500 riders saddled up for the 130km Etape Caledonia in Perthshire in May, 50 per cent more than last year.
Patrick Trainor, who promotes sports rides for organisations such as Wheels in Wheels, said cyclists are entering events to test themselves without racing. "Sportives make riding in different places attractive as the route is marked out for you and nutrition and back-up are taken care of," he said. A host of smaller events, including the Independent's own inaugural London to Brighton Bike Ride on 11 September, have sprung up to cater for the increase in interest.
Today the centre of Manchester will be closed to vehicles for one of 13 Sky Rides taking place this year – eight more than last year. Ian Drake, the chief executive of British Cycling, which is supporting the Sky Rides, said: "Cycling is booming and we are seeing an unprecedented growth in the number of people cycling regularly, currently 1.88 million people cycle at least once a week." He added that Sky Rides had prompted more than 100,000 people to "dust off their bikes and explore their city on two wheels". The organisation is aiming to get a million more people cycling regularly by 2013 and said its membership had risen in the past two years to more than 32,000, compared with 22,000 in 2007.
Much of the surge in interest was sparked by Britain's 34 medals in the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. "Cycling is Britain's most successful sport, and of course there are the health, transport and environmental advantages being promoted by the Government. The recession has also helped encourage people to get on their bikes as a more economic way to travel," a British Cycling spokeswoman added.
The former chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, last year recommended the Government set national targets to increase travel by bicycle eightfold. Boris Johnson, the bicycling Mayor of London, ultimately wants one in five journeys in the capital to be made by bike – a level not reached since 1904. Today, cycling accounts for only 2 per cent of journeys in the capital.
Evidence of the cycling boom came as Mr Johnson launched his so-called "Boris bikes", 5,000 cycles that can be hired from 315 docking stations across the city by the half-hour for as little as 12p per day. A number of other cities, including Liverpool, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle, have shown interest in similar schemes, according to , the national cyclists' organisation CTC.
Carlton Reid, executive editor of BikeBiz, a trade magazine, said the London scheme, which follows the Vélib network launched in Paris in 2007, would have a "massive impact on cycling in London and elsewhere". But he warned that infrastructure still needed to be vastly improved to entice more people on to two wheels. "The Government is slowly realising that it won't get an increase in cycling unless motorists are tamed," he said. "Too many cycle routes, especially in London, aren't joined up, leaving cyclists to be spat out in the middle of junctions."
The National Travel Survey, which covered personal travel made in Great Britain during 2009, showed that the average distance travelled per person by bicycle was 46 miles, compared with 42 miles the previous year, the average trip distance rising to 2.8 miles from 2.4 miles. Chris Peck, CTC's policy co-ordinator, said: "We expected that the recession, along with high fuel prices, would lead to an increase in cycling. The growth is particularly associated with those in the highest income bracket, which may be as a result of the boom in leisure cycling and commuting by bike."
The figures revealed a class split in cycling: in households in the top fifth of income brackets, 77 miles were cycled per person. In the lowest two such quintiles, only 32 miles were cycled per household member. A bike can cost anything from £65 to £1,000. Men in their forties are among the keenest cyclists. But young people are cycling less, because of road safety fears, the report showed: the number of trips by a typical teenager has plummeted from 70 a year in the early Nineties to 28.
Born again: Joseph Byrne, 28, IT consultant
This is my Boris bike! It's like a Dutch bike. I grew up in Holland so I quite like that. It's a good relaxed bike – you can sit upright, relax your shoulders, and take a good look at the world. It glides along. It's been about 12 years since I last rode a bike. It's got drum brakes, so if it rains it doesn't really affect it. You can store stuff on it that you buy. Security's not an issue with this. I live on the fifth floor, so I just park it in a bay about two minutes up the road from me.
Fold-up: Jasna Jevremovic, 22, medical student
This is a Brompton, which is an English design. I've had it for two-and-a-half years and I mostly use it to get to work. Having said that, I do use it every day. I even used it to cycle to Paris. It's fantastic for the city. The gears are in the hub so it doesn't get dirty. I'm from Serbia and I cycled more there. I used to have a road bike there. I find cycling easy, convenient, and it's great if I buy something because I can just carry it on the bike.
DIY-er: Laura Udeh, 46, civil servant
It's a Pioneer Metro GLX. It's a basic bike. I promise it's not a Boris bike! I've had it for about five years, and I look after it. The springy bits are for the bumps. I use it to get to work. You buy the gear, the helmet and everything once, and other than that you just service it. That costs about £45. I want to learn to service it myself, mostly because it would be a nightmare if I got a flat tyre. I need to be able to change it myself, I think.
Road racer: Ali Moazed, 36, fund manager
This is a Bianchi. I'm an amateur, but it looks cool. I use it a couple of times a week. I've only had it for about five months. I started cycling again to get into shape but it's also a good way to get to work, especially in the summer. The only costs are the bike and maintenance. It cost about £600, so that's a good deal.
Fixie fan: Kavah Iyati, 27, musician
This is a fixed-wheel bike. It's old, from 1953, and I've had it about a year. It was a gift from a friend, and I changed it to a fixed-wheel for about £20 – I can control it better now. I use it every day – I'm a musician so I use it to go to rehearsals, to the studio, to friends, to my home. It all adds up. Before, I took the bus or other public transport, but this is cheaper.
Bargain hunter: Teresa Macauley, chef
I've had this Raleigh bike for about a month. I bought my other bike for £50 down Portobello market, but it wasn't very good – in fact it was really dodgy. So I bought this one instead – it cost about £200. It's faster and cheaper than public transport and good exercise. I use it to get to and from where I work in Mayfair, central London, which is about three miles from where I live. It can be scary on my bike: I have been cut up once, and – you're not going to believe this – by a police car.
Interviews by Pavan Amara
China's Influence Grows With Its Economy
BEIJING—China is set to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy in a resurgence that is changing everything from the global balance of military and financial power to how cars are designed.
By some measures it has already moved to second place after the U.S. in total economic output—a milestone that would underline a pre-eminence not seen since the 18th century, when the Middle Kingdom last served as Asia's military, technological and cultural power.
China is already the biggest exporter, auto buyer and steel producer, and its world-wide influence is growing. The fortunes of companies from Detroit auto makers to Brazilian iron miners depend on spending by China's consumers and corporations.
And rising wealth brings political presence: Chinese pressure helped to win developing countries a bigger voice in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
"Japan was the powerhouse driving the rest of Asia," said Rob Subbaraman, chief Asia economist for Nomura Securities. "Now the tide is turning and China is becoming a powerful influence on the rest of Asia, including Japan."
Land of Contradictions
China's rise has produced glaring contradictions. The wealth gap between an elite who profited most from three decades of reform and its poor majority is so extreme that China has dozens of billionaires while average income for the rest of its 1.3 billion people is among the world's lowest. Beijing has launched two manned space missions and is talking about exporting high-speed trains to California and Europe while families in remote areas live in cave houses cut into hillsides.
Japan's people still are among the world's richest, with a per capita income of $37,800 last year, compared with China's $3,600. So are Americans at $42,240, their economy still by far the biggest. But Japan is trapped in a two-decade-old economic slump, the U.S. is wrestling with a financial crisis, and China's sheer economic size and the lure of its vast consumer market adds to its clout abroad.
Its explosive growth has driven conflicting shifts in Asia and beyond, triggering a scramble for commercial opportunity but fueling unease that the wealth is helping to finance a military buildup to press the communist government's claims in the region.
"I think everyone in the region is trying to benefit from Chinese economic dynamism but at the same time is trying to make sure China does not become a regional hegemon," said Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of the Australian newspaper.
A Question of Time
Exactly when China passes Japan formally will be unclear until after this year ends. It depends on shifting exchange rates and data reported in different forms by the two governments.
Chinese GDP in 2009 was $4.98 trillion and Japan's was $5.07 trillion. In 2010, Chinese GDP was $1.335 trillion for the April-June quarter, a period for which Tokyo has yet to report. China is growing at 10% a year; Japan's expansion this year is forecast at no more than 3%.
"On that basis, the crossover probably happened last quarter," said Julian Jessop, chief international economist for Capital Economics in London, in an e-mail.
Beijing appears to take it for granted that it already has overtaken Japan.
"China already is the world's second-biggest economic body," said a deputy central bank governor, Yi Gang, in a policy discussion posted July 30 on the foreign exchange agency's website.
Australia has been one of the biggest beneficiaries as China's voracious appetite for iron ore, coal and other commodities drove a mining boom that kept its economy growing through the global crisis.
That trade prompted Australia to reconsider its stance toward China, previously seen as a communist aggressor. In 2008, then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaker who was a diplomat in Beijing, called for closer political, economic and academic engagement with the Chinese government.
But Mr. Rudd also displayed Australia's independence from Beijing by talking about human rights, Tibet and China's Muslim minorities—issues Chinese leaders want other countries to keep quiet about. And Australia affirmed its longtime security alliance with Washington, a counterweight to China's growing might. Mr. Rudd's successor, Julia Gillard, has given no sign of a major change of direction.
The Central Brightness
In the long historical view, China's 21st century rise is a return to the status it held for most of the past 2,000 years as "Zhong Hua," or the Central Brightness, East Asia's economic and military giant and a beacon of technology and elite culture to societies from Vietnam to Korea to Japan.
China's was the biggest economy, with its workshops and textile mills accounting for up to one-third of global manufacturing. But it went into steep decline in the 19th century as its rulers resisted mimicking Japan's embrace of Western technology. By the 1930s, China produced just a few percent of global factory output.
After a civil war, communist takeover and political upheaval, free-enterprise reforms pioneered by leader Deng Xiaoping opened the door for hundreds of millions of Chinese to work their way out of poverty.
Since those reforms began in 1979, China has grown into the world's low-cost factory, its biggest exporter and producer of half its steel. It wants to evolve beyond cheap manufacturing and is trying to build up technology industries but has had little success so far.
Last year, the World Bank ranked China 124th among economies in per capita income, behind Latin America and some African nations. Japan was 32nd, the United States 17th.
Yet already, China's consumers are so avidly courted by global companies that products from autos to home appliances destined for sale world-wide are designed with their tastes in mind. This year, French luxury goods maker Hermes Group unveiled a brand, Shang Xia, to be designed specifically for Chinese customers.
Asia's Military Leader
Unlike Japan, which renounced aggressive force after its World War II defeat, Beijing sees itself as Asia's rightful military leader. It has openly possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s and is spending heavily to build up the Communist Party's military arm, the 2.5 million-soldier People's Liberation Army.
Beijing's military outlays are the world's second-highest and have tripled since 2000 to an estimated $100 billion last year, well behind Washington's $617 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China's demand for oil, iron ore and other raw materials is pumping money into developing economies as far-flung as Angola and Kazakhstan that supply them. Chinese companies are making inroads into Africa in search of resources and markets.
"Now, Africa has an alternative development model," said Derek Scissors, a Heritage Foundation scholar in Washington. Instead of Western investment with environmental or other strings attached, Mr. Scissors said, "they now see the Chinese as an alternative: 'We don't want to deal with you. We'll get some Chinese state-owned company to put $1.5 billion into this mining project.' "
Chinese pressure helped to trigger the biggest changes in decades in the U.S.- and European-dominated World Bank and IMF, which agreed to give China, Turkey, Mexico and other developing countries a bigger say in picking leaders and deciding policy.
The boom has helped communist leaders pay to cultivate "soft power," educational and media activity to win hearts and minds abroad.
Of course, even after slipping to third place, Japan is still rich and comfortable—the Switzerland of Asia.
The society that created hybrid cars and the Walkman has 99% literacy and the world's longest life expectancy at 83 years. Tokyo is the capital of fine dining, with more Michelin-starred restaurants than Paris.
Toyota Motor has overtaken General Motors as the biggest global automaker at a time when China companies have yet to establish their own brand names.
Next to Pass: The U.S.?
Now, with Japan in the rear view mirror, can China catch up with the U.S.?
Yes, say many analysts.
China could match the U.S. in total output as early as 2020, said a World Bank forecast in June. But still, it said per capita income would be one-fourth the U.S. level, comparable to Malaysia or Latin America.
Achieving even that will require China's unelected, secretive leaders to radically change their state-dominated economy.
They need to promote technology and education, fight rampant corruption that is stoking public anger, and resist temptation to favor government-owned companies at the expense of a dynamic private sector that creates jobs and wealth.
Success is far from guaranteed, warn the World Bank and others.
They say China, Mexico and other developing countries easily can stall at middle-income levels if they fail to develop an educated, creative work force and legal systems to support innovation or if they allow entrenched companies to stifle competition.
"Are they going to pass the U.S. in total GDP? Yes, very likely," said Mr. Scissors. "Are they going to move into upper-middle-income status? That's a much tougher thing."
By some measures it has already moved to second place after the U.S. in total economic output—a milestone that would underline a pre-eminence not seen since the 18th century, when the Middle Kingdom last served as Asia's military, technological and cultural power.
China is already the biggest exporter, auto buyer and steel producer, and its world-wide influence is growing. The fortunes of companies from Detroit auto makers to Brazilian iron miners depend on spending by China's consumers and corporations.
And rising wealth brings political presence: Chinese pressure helped to win developing countries a bigger voice in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
"Japan was the powerhouse driving the rest of Asia," said Rob Subbaraman, chief Asia economist for Nomura Securities. "Now the tide is turning and China is becoming a powerful influence on the rest of Asia, including Japan."
Land of Contradictions
China's rise has produced glaring contradictions. The wealth gap between an elite who profited most from three decades of reform and its poor majority is so extreme that China has dozens of billionaires while average income for the rest of its 1.3 billion people is among the world's lowest. Beijing has launched two manned space missions and is talking about exporting high-speed trains to California and Europe while families in remote areas live in cave houses cut into hillsides.
Japan's people still are among the world's richest, with a per capita income of $37,800 last year, compared with China's $3,600. So are Americans at $42,240, their economy still by far the biggest. But Japan is trapped in a two-decade-old economic slump, the U.S. is wrestling with a financial crisis, and China's sheer economic size and the lure of its vast consumer market adds to its clout abroad.
Its explosive growth has driven conflicting shifts in Asia and beyond, triggering a scramble for commercial opportunity but fueling unease that the wealth is helping to finance a military buildup to press the communist government's claims in the region.
"I think everyone in the region is trying to benefit from Chinese economic dynamism but at the same time is trying to make sure China does not become a regional hegemon," said Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of the Australian newspaper.
A Question of Time
Exactly when China passes Japan formally will be unclear until after this year ends. It depends on shifting exchange rates and data reported in different forms by the two governments.
Chinese GDP in 2009 was $4.98 trillion and Japan's was $5.07 trillion. In 2010, Chinese GDP was $1.335 trillion for the April-June quarter, a period for which Tokyo has yet to report. China is growing at 10% a year; Japan's expansion this year is forecast at no more than 3%.
"On that basis, the crossover probably happened last quarter," said Julian Jessop, chief international economist for Capital Economics in London, in an e-mail.
Beijing appears to take it for granted that it already has overtaken Japan.
"China already is the world's second-biggest economic body," said a deputy central bank governor, Yi Gang, in a policy discussion posted July 30 on the foreign exchange agency's website.
Australia has been one of the biggest beneficiaries as China's voracious appetite for iron ore, coal and other commodities drove a mining boom that kept its economy growing through the global crisis.
That trade prompted Australia to reconsider its stance toward China, previously seen as a communist aggressor. In 2008, then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaker who was a diplomat in Beijing, called for closer political, economic and academic engagement with the Chinese government.
But Mr. Rudd also displayed Australia's independence from Beijing by talking about human rights, Tibet and China's Muslim minorities—issues Chinese leaders want other countries to keep quiet about. And Australia affirmed its longtime security alliance with Washington, a counterweight to China's growing might. Mr. Rudd's successor, Julia Gillard, has given no sign of a major change of direction.
The Central Brightness
In the long historical view, China's 21st century rise is a return to the status it held for most of the past 2,000 years as "Zhong Hua," or the Central Brightness, East Asia's economic and military giant and a beacon of technology and elite culture to societies from Vietnam to Korea to Japan.
China's was the biggest economy, with its workshops and textile mills accounting for up to one-third of global manufacturing. But it went into steep decline in the 19th century as its rulers resisted mimicking Japan's embrace of Western technology. By the 1930s, China produced just a few percent of global factory output.
After a civil war, communist takeover and political upheaval, free-enterprise reforms pioneered by leader Deng Xiaoping opened the door for hundreds of millions of Chinese to work their way out of poverty.
Since those reforms began in 1979, China has grown into the world's low-cost factory, its biggest exporter and producer of half its steel. It wants to evolve beyond cheap manufacturing and is trying to build up technology industries but has had little success so far.
Last year, the World Bank ranked China 124th among economies in per capita income, behind Latin America and some African nations. Japan was 32nd, the United States 17th.
Yet already, China's consumers are so avidly courted by global companies that products from autos to home appliances destined for sale world-wide are designed with their tastes in mind. This year, French luxury goods maker Hermes Group unveiled a brand, Shang Xia, to be designed specifically for Chinese customers.
Asia's Military Leader
Unlike Japan, which renounced aggressive force after its World War II defeat, Beijing sees itself as Asia's rightful military leader. It has openly possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s and is spending heavily to build up the Communist Party's military arm, the 2.5 million-soldier People's Liberation Army.
Beijing's military outlays are the world's second-highest and have tripled since 2000 to an estimated $100 billion last year, well behind Washington's $617 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China's demand for oil, iron ore and other raw materials is pumping money into developing economies as far-flung as Angola and Kazakhstan that supply them. Chinese companies are making inroads into Africa in search of resources and markets.
"Now, Africa has an alternative development model," said Derek Scissors, a Heritage Foundation scholar in Washington. Instead of Western investment with environmental or other strings attached, Mr. Scissors said, "they now see the Chinese as an alternative: 'We don't want to deal with you. We'll get some Chinese state-owned company to put $1.5 billion into this mining project.' "
Chinese pressure helped to trigger the biggest changes in decades in the U.S.- and European-dominated World Bank and IMF, which agreed to give China, Turkey, Mexico and other developing countries a bigger say in picking leaders and deciding policy.
The boom has helped communist leaders pay to cultivate "soft power," educational and media activity to win hearts and minds abroad.
Of course, even after slipping to third place, Japan is still rich and comfortable—the Switzerland of Asia.
The society that created hybrid cars and the Walkman has 99% literacy and the world's longest life expectancy at 83 years. Tokyo is the capital of fine dining, with more Michelin-starred restaurants than Paris.
Toyota Motor has overtaken General Motors as the biggest global automaker at a time when China companies have yet to establish their own brand names.
Next to Pass: The U.S.?
Now, with Japan in the rear view mirror, can China catch up with the U.S.?
Yes, say many analysts.
China could match the U.S. in total output as early as 2020, said a World Bank forecast in June. But still, it said per capita income would be one-fourth the U.S. level, comparable to Malaysia or Latin America.
Achieving even that will require China's unelected, secretive leaders to radically change their state-dominated economy.
They need to promote technology and education, fight rampant corruption that is stoking public anger, and resist temptation to favor government-owned companies at the expense of a dynamic private sector that creates jobs and wealth.
Success is far from guaranteed, warn the World Bank and others.
They say China, Mexico and other developing countries easily can stall at middle-income levels if they fail to develop an educated, creative work force and legal systems to support innovation or if they allow entrenched companies to stifle competition.
"Are they going to pass the U.S. in total GDP? Yes, very likely," said Mr. Scissors. "Are they going to move into upper-middle-income status? That's a much tougher thing."
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