Per capita GDP and gross GDP easily refute your apologia.
Pro tip: at least try to submit something unrelated to China every now and then, otherwise people may rightly or wrongly call you a troll.
Pro tip: at least try to submit something unrelated to China every now and then, otherwise people may rightly or wrongly call you a troll.
I see no problem submitting China-related news since I live in the country and Chinese technology is my focus, and HN folks deserve to know more about the development of Chinese technologies. I should submit more often. The fact that people are 'shocked' to hear Chinese company winning western counterparts as shown in the comments under various China posts in HN proves my point.
On the other hand, the consequences for a nation or a business of underestimating China could be catastrophic. It could mean finding your business or nation suddenly cut off by a competitor you didn't plan for. It seems to me that rational self interest alone should bias the west towards overestimating rather than underestimating China.
It almost feels like an anxious insecurity, as if admitting that China might catch up might make it so, when sticking our heads in the sand about the possible threat is way more likely to ensure we are overtaken.