Where We Live: China's Power Illusion

In November, Forbes called Hu Jintao the world’s most powerful person.  Is it true?

In less than two weeks President Hu and President Obama will meet to discuss China’s policies on, among other things, global imbalances. 

China reports a $20.8 billion trade surplus for December, $191 bill for the year and the world is cowering in fear of China’s rapid rise to power. Goldman Sachs predicts China’s and U.S. economies will be equivalent in size around 2027.

As a result, recent polls show that Americans think the US is in a downward spiral and China is the new superpower.   Today, one of our guests says these dire projections are premature – China still has a long way to go in developing both its hard and soft power to surpass America.

We’ll look at how China’s flexing it’s military muscle, while trying to smooth over its rough edges on human rights to try and be a better global business partner.