Why India is a Rising Power
If you were to look at China and India, and those two countries specifically, um, and you were to handicap them, as you are uniquely qualified to do, maybe you could just broadly handicap India versus China for us. This is a topic we've been talking about, Jamath and I, and the other besties on the show a whole bunch. And it's now the largest population in the world; I guess people don't realize that, that they've, uh, and they're continuing to grow. The birth rate is in decline in China, so maybe a little bit on India and how you look at it.
I should emphasize that every conclusion that I have is a function of measuring statistics and having them as leading indicators. We have 10-year growth rate estimates for, uh, China, uh, excuse me, India, um, all the countries, the top 22 countries, and you could see it online if you want, country by country. The reasons for it: India has the highest potential growth rate. I think India, um, is where China was when I started to go—I started to go in 1984.
So, if you look at the complexion, the per capita income, and I think, um, Modi is a De Shell Ping. So, that you have a, um, a massive, uh, reform, development, creativity—all those elements there. There are, of course, issues, risk issues, uh, but India is very, uh, very important. I don't think that any of these issues is going to stop India.
I also in history— the countries that were the neutral countries did the best. So, in other words, better than the winners in wars. As we have this conflict between the United States and China and its allies, Russia and so on, as we see that lineup, countries that are in the middle, like India, are going to be net beneficiaries.
The Middle East, again, there are two big epicenters where things are happening fast and quick, um, and getting better. One of them is, um, well, let’s say three: there are the ACON countries, and we can say that Singapore, essentially, is a hub. But the ACON countries, which is, you know, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and all of that, that's going to be a good, great area.
The Middle East, in terms of particularly the Gulf countries—the amount of money they're making, talent magnets—they're attracting people. That's, you look at how the change in is taking place, um, that's certainly it, and India.