Is China a developing or a developed nation?

Some of u have been asking me this question recently....it can pose a bit of a problem as the stature and influence of China has grown tremendously in the last few years, esp after the Beijing Olympics. It now has the kind of influence and world standing that no typical developing nation can match. No world strategic vision formulated by any country can exclude China. It's a heavy weight up there with the likes of US, Germany, UK, France, etc.....It's the world no.2 economic power, second only to the US, and first in Asia, after de-throning Japan from the top spot in Asia. BUT China is classified as a developing nation. According to the World Bank:

"With a population of 1.3 billion, China recently became the second largest economy and is increasingly playing an important and influential role in the global economy. Yet China remains a developing country and its market reforms are incomplete. In 2011, China’s gross national income per capita of $4,940 ranked 114th in the world; and over 170 million people still live below the $1.25-a-day international poverty line. With the second largest number of poor in the world after India, poverty reduction remains a fundamental challenge."

You can read the rest HERE from the World Bank website; or HERE at Wikipedia for what constitutes a developing nation.

So there u go....Note though that the unique situation of China (it is atypical and rare to have a developing nation, i.e. 'poor' nation, to have such wealth and immense political influence) means that u can use China as a useful example to rebut arguments typical of developing/poor nations. China can be seen as rich and powerful enough to wield considerable influence on the international stage, e.g. China's refusal to support the Copenhagen Accord is one major reason why the climate talks failed.

Note that the anomaly of China stems from the fact that it has an overwhelming population unmatched by another other countries, hence giving it tremendous economic potential and political muscle. And while most of the country is steeped in relative poverty, the coastal cities like Shanghai, and of course, the capital city Beijing, are very prosperous. So whether China is rich or poor depends on which part u're looking at. But its GDP per capita is still low when divided against its sheer population of 1.2 billion people. We're thus talking about a wide income gap here.....

Sample Qns:
1) The use of technology has made life more difficult for the poor.
2) Environmental conservation is a luxury that only rich countries can afford.