The (Ex) Washington Realist

For the record, yes, China has its problems as well.

When I took the opportunity of using the bridge collapse in Minneapolis to point out that China is spending a greater portion of its GDP on infrastructure than a United States which is also beginning to see its own ageing infrastructure run into some problems, some were critical that I was buying into a narrative of China's rise and America's decline that overplayed China's virtues and downgraded its vices.

I've also been on record that pundits and analysts have to be able to admit errors.

So here's today's news report that is sparking this post:

" A bridge being built as a tourist attraction in central China has collapsed, killing at least 28 people, injuring 22 and leaving dozens missing, China Central Television reported Tuesday, but witnesses expected the death toll to rise substantially.

"The official Xinhua press agency said that 86 people were rescued, including the 22 who were injured when the 320-meter, or 1,050-foot, bridge spanning the Tuo River in Hunan Province collapsed Monday. The cause of the collapse was under investigation, it said."

China has major difficulties in racing to first world status--pollution and corruption for starters.

But I do think that the United States cannot be complacent in letting its own infrastructure and economic base become decrepit, so I still think the overall warning stands.