Top > Business > 2006 > July > 2006-07-02

We Should Think About India Too

There?s a lot of talk out there these days about whether or not the United States can compete with China?s growing economy. But what about India? India might have the world?s biggest population by 2015, outpacing even China?s gigantic population (thanks in part to population controls put in place by the Communist government in Beijing). While China made a good start of things several years ago, India is lagging behind in part because it has only recently started to really get its economy to grow.

Sure, poverty is rife throughout both China and India. The countries have this poor class in common, not just gigantic populations. But China isn?t a democracy, and India is. Chinese universities are well-regarded, and growing, and they deserve their respect in Asia. But China also has information controls, meaning that the people at the universities learn a lot ? but only so much as the government wants them to know. The effect this can have on creativity should not be disregarded.

So before we get too ahead of ourselves gushing over the Chinese dragon, let?s give some credit to the ingenuity and flexibility of the Indian elephant. Yes, Washington took its sweet time cozying-up to the world?s largest democracy, but if America truly has learnt its lesson then the U.S. will be able to forge an economic-political alliance with New Delhi that benefits both countries, and may very well help the Indian economy ? and democracy ? outperform the Chinese sooner rather than later.