7 b3 H2 j7 B; m8 t. v0 g9 d2 HChina is looking to restructure its economy away from dependence on exports like textiles. : b( K% k" _. Q( H) n 5 q$ M$ a1 i* t& h% K" L, A8 K5 r r1 \6 X3 j7 u' A, u2 J. y& a7 ]0 @
China wants to steer its economy toward domestic consumption, hoping to create more balanced and sustainable growth.5 E# E7 N% ]+ v3 G/ t1 U
+ z5 v8 o: `1 `) A" _: d1 d
/ f+ M8 D- m$ ~7 \1 ~4 tAs China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows % `( o8 q6 ~8 @8 R& o 4 q* Z) j: u' \3 c: M$ ]* HFor nearly two years, China’s turbocharged economy has raced ahead with the aid of a huge government stimulus program and aggressive lending by state-run banks./ S/ }& b/ }5 [- k! q& G; d
! }. x4 g- ]! b6 U
But a growing number of economists now worry that China — the world’s fastest growing economy and a pillar of strength during the global financial crisis — could be stalled next year by soaring inflation, mounting government debt and asset bubbles. ! r0 ?6 V! M+ s0 n& U% r4 w $ K( Z) |' [ t+ X5 ]# w7 G" F' yBut last week, an analyst at the Royal Bank of Scotland advised clients to hedge against the risk that a flood of cash into China, coupled with soaring inflation, could result in a “day of reckoning.” 5 J) |! N1 v4 T9 \% o6 i8 \8 {' @1 V( ~- C2 Q
“Inflation is not the most serious problem,” says Xu Xiaonian, a professor of economics at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai. “The most fundamental problem we have to resolve is structural. We need more opening up and reform policies. Look at the state monopolies in education, health care, telecom and entertainment. We need to break those up. We need to create more jobs and make the economy more innovative.”