Yukon Huang, Isaac B. Kardon, Matt Sheehan
{
"authors": [
"Yukon Huang"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "asia",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "AP",
"programs": [
"Asia"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"East Asia",
"China"
],
"topics": [
"Economy"
]
}Source: Getty
Balancing China’s Economy is Unnecessary
All successful development stories, from the United States to Korea, involved the same unbalanced growth trajectory China is now on, and they only rebalanced once they reached high income.
Source: China View
Carnegie’s Yukon Huang appeared on China View to discuss his perspective on China’s unbalanced growth process. Huang argued that all economies that have successfully reached high income status, including the United States, Korea, and Japan, did so through unbalanced growth processes of high investment and low consumption. These success stories only became balanced after they reached high income states, which China will not reach until around 2020. He also pointed out that the fundamental goal of any economy is not simply GDP growth but improvement in living standards. This is partially accomplished through consumption growth and, despite consumption’s unusually small share of GDP, China has produced the most rapid growth of consumption of any country over the past three decades. Finally, Huang added that the key for maintaining sustainable growth going forward is improving productivity.
About the Author
Senior Fellow, Asia Program
Huang is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program where his research focuses on China’s economy and its regional and global impact.
- Three Takeaways From the Biden-Xi MeetingCommentary
- Europe Narrowly Navigates De-risking Between Washington and BeijingCommentary
Yukon Huang, Genevieve Slosberg
Recent Work
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Iran Is Pushing Its Neighbors Toward the United StatesCommentary
Tehran’s attacks are reshaping the security situation in the Middle East—and forcing the region’s clock to tick backward once again.
Amr Hamzawy
- The Gulf Monarchies Are Caught Between Iran’s Desperation and the U.S.’s RecklessnessCommentary
Only collective security can protect fragile economic models.
Andrew Leber
- Duqm at the Crossroads: Oman’s Strategic Port and Its Role in Vision 2040Commentary
In a volatile Middle East, the Omani port of Duqm offers stability, neutrality, and opportunity. Could this hidden port become the ultimate safe harbor for global trade?
Giorgio Cafiero, Samuel Ramani
- Governing Aging Economies: South Korea and the Politics of Care, Safety, and WorkPaper
South Korea’s rapid demographic transition previews governance challenges many advanced and middle-income economies will face. This paper argues that aging is not only a care issue but a structural governance challenge—reshaping welfare, productivity, and fiscal sustainability, and reorganizing responsibilities across the state, private sector, and society.
Darcie Draudt-Véjares
- Beijing Doesn’t Think Like Washington—and the Iran Conflict Shows WhyCommentary
Arguing that Chinese policy is hung on alliances—with imputations of obligation—misses the point.
Evan A. Feigenbaum