1)       China now holds US$ 2,3 trillion in foreign reserves. Total foreign reserves held internationally = $ 9 trillion. China ranks No. 1 in foreign reserve holdings globally, the top 3 countries are all BRIC countries and the US ranks    No. 20 in foreign reserve holdings.

2)      After WWII Asian economies contributed 2% towards global GDP. By 2020 it is estimated that Asian countries will contribute 60% towards global GDP. China alone will contribute 45% towards global GDP.

3)      Today, there are 1 billion middle class people living in the West and 500 million middle class people living in the East. By 2020 there will be 1,5 billion middle class people living in the West and 3 billion middle class people living in the East. The major middle class growth will come from China, where 400 million additional people will be urbanized over the next 10 years.

4)      The World population today is 6,8 billion people. By 2020 it is estimated that the World population will be ~ 9 billion people.

5)      35% of Chinese university students are studying engineering, whilst less than 10% of US students are studying engineering. There are 350,000 Chinese students studying at US Universities, whilst there are ~ 13,000 US students studying in China.

6)      The World Bank estimates that by 2020 China will outstrip the US economy on every economic measurement, including technology and innovation.   This means that China will have complete dominance over Western countries in the services, manufacturing and innovation sectors.

The interviewee was complaining that Western people are too slow in recognizing the above and adapting quickly enough to the required mindset change for participating effectively and taking advantage of global economic trends moving towards 2020.