WEEKEND MEMOS

'Weekend memos' give our editorial writers a chance to express their own opinions, comment on topics they have been writing about, or take a lighter approach. The opinions in 'Memos' do not always follow the Enquirer's editorial positions.

A United Nations report released Wednesday says China cannot meet its long-term economic goals without destroying the world's economy.

The premise is simple: There are only so many resources to go around. And if China's 1.3 billion citizens - almost a fifth of the world's total population - are to achieve a standard of living common in the industrialized world today, the citizens of wealthy countries must radically reduce their own consumption.

China, long a home to extremely poor farmers and stagnant socialized industries, is quickly leaving the ranks of the poor as its government becomes more tolerant of entrepreneurship. The country's gross domestic product grew 8 percent last year and is predicted to grow another seven percent this year.

Business leaders salivate at the thought of a new free-enterprise, low-trade-barrier China giving American industries more than a billion new customers. Human rights activists and anti-communists can't wait for the day when the economic freedoms ultimately lead to political freedom.

Not so fast. The United Nations, led by its Environment Program director Klaus Toepfer, say American consumerism can only go so far. There's just not enough televisions and laptop computers to go around.

But what the report conveniently fails to address are economic factors that would affect China's future as much as environmental ones. For example, if millions of Chinese citizens suddenly could afford sports utilities vehicles, the sudden demand for gas-guzzlers would raise the price so much it might be Americans who couldn't afford them.

Which points to the real issue here: China's economic growth spurt has the potential to change the balance of power in the world.

Consider: the total population of the Group of Eight, the organization of the world's eight biggest economic powers, is only about 840 million. Meanwhile, China - with 1.3 billion people - has a faster-growing economy than any of them.

America's military and geopolitical might is unquestioned. But at least in the world of economics, we'd better get used to sharing the stage.

Ben Fischer