随着中国经济的发展,尤其是年轻人受教育程度的提高(从5%上升到70%),社会心态发生了变化。年轻人更加专业化,不再有过去的焦虑感,服务质量也大幅提升。此外,基础设施和公共服务的改善,如高效的交通系统和便捷的送货服务,进一步提升了生活质量。
尽管西方经济学家认为中国的家庭消费占GDP的比例较低(约60%),但中国的实际消费水平并不低。中国购买的汽车、手机、食物等数量远超美国,且家庭消费在疫情期间有所增长,2022年增长了7.8%。中国的消费结构更多集中在商品消费,而非服务消费。
房地产在中国经济中占比约20%,是GDP的重要组成部分。近年来,房地产市场出现下滑,导致整体GDP增速从7-8%降至5-6%。房地产市场的波动影响了消费者的信心,进而影响了消费和投资。
尽管有人认为中国的经济增长依赖于大量基础设施投资,但中国政府正在推动高质量增长,特别是在高科技和制造业领域。中国的经济增长模式正在从依赖房地产和基础设施转向更可持续的高科技产业。
美国担心中国的经济规模和技术进步,尤其是在电动汽车、电池等高科技领域。中国的制造业能力和低成本生产对美国的传统制造业构成了挑战,导致美国试图通过政策手段逆转全球化趋势。
中国的送货服务极其便捷,几乎所有商品都可以通过手机应用程序快速送达。这种服务不仅提升了生活便利性,还创造了大量就业机会,尤其是为低收入群体提供了送货员的工作。
中国的技术进步不仅体现在高科技产业,还体现在日常生活中的自动化设备,如无人送货车和智能家居设备。这些技术在提升生活质量的同时,也展示了中国的制造能力和创新水平。
中国的教育体系培养了大量工程师和技术人才,每年约有100万工程师毕业。这种人才储备为中国的高科技和制造业发展提供了坚实的基础,推动了经济的转型升级。
Han Feizi is the pseudonym of a columnist for Asia Times, who covers the Chinese economy, technology, and US-China competition. The author lives in Beijing, and has an extensive background in finance and investment banking.
Han Feizi's articles for Asia Times: https://asiatimes.com/author/han-feizi/)
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to the guest: Han Feizi01:39 What it's like in Beijing right now
06:38 Modern Conveniences in Beijing
12:11 What the economy feels like for ordinary people
19:09 China's economic structure: consumption, infrastructure investment, Michael Pettis
30:32 Currency Valuation and PPP: real PRC is significantly larger than US economy
31:45 US high living standards and manufacturing competitiveness
34:13 Globalization and its discontents
40:15 Reversing globalization and the myth of American exceptionalism
45:58 China's increasingly high quality standards and quality of life
58:09 Whither China? Xi Jinping
Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure.
--
Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.