... as an aside, not, that's not how I define national, hence the qualifier ... but when asking when the EU becomes a federal nation state is like asking how long a short piece of string can be ... given evolution in that direction, its a status that is most likely to recognized in the rear view mirror, and then some more or less arbitrary event will be selected as the "starting point".

... but, yes, that reinforces the point. North America is not even the largest single market for Chinese manufacturers, and export is not China's sole growth engine at this point in time.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.