And what if it does not stop there?

There have been different calculations how long it will take China to get to the same development level as the industrialised world. The poor countries of the world together already have as big a Gross Domestic Product as the rich countries combined. China is likely to become the biggest economy of the world around 2040.

And what happens if it doesn't stop there? If China not only becomes as rich as the Europeans and Americans, but if it just steams ahead, and leaves the West behind? And what if this happens without their introducing free elections and democracy?