How the developing world overtakes the developed world

 This sounds like the impossible. How can the developing countries overtake the developed countries? Some may think it is possible, just look at China, the biggest developing country overtaking the developed countries in many fields and charging ahead, leaving the developed world in its rear mirror.

China may be just an exception, an aberration. Really? Can developing countries in Africa, Middle East, Latin America or Asean do better than the developed countries? What is happening is by default of the developed world dictated by the Americans. They chose or allowed the Americans to hold them back, not to move forward but stuck in the mud in a way. Pride, rivalry and becoming too smart for their own good.

When Huawei proved that its 5G technology was the best in the world, what did the Americans do? Cripple Huawei by all kinds of mean and unethical means.Cooked up the lie that Huawei 5G system would lead to a spying on the users. Despite several developed countries already did their due diligence and found nothing wrong with Huawei, still they have to live along with the American lie. The main reason is simply not to use 5G from Huawei even if Huawei's 5G has proven to be the leader in the field. 

Since the American's edict to forbid the use of Huawei's equipment, practically all the developed countries have stopped using Huawei, had to strip down Huawei's equipment. For this selfish and mischievous act, the developed countries are still grappling with 5G, unable to come up with a workable 5G system comparable to Huawei's. The Americans created a OpenRan platform using open system and roped in all the developed countries into, to come up with a better 5G system. Till today, OpenRan is also ran. One by one is dropping out from this platform, unable to come up with a better and cheaper system than Huawei.

Huawei continues the race despite losing ground in 5G mobile phones. Huawei's 5G IOT system has been accepted by nearly 60 countries, more than Nokia and Ericsson combined. Russia, Turkey, Brazil and a few others have contracted Huawei to develop their 5G infrastructures. UK is quietly using Huawei's 5G system, the first developed country to accept Huawei but forced to decommission and to dismantle the Huawei installation. UK has not dismantle the Huawei system, supposedly to tear down everything at a colossal loss by January of 2023 to please the Americans. It has just decided to delay this to end of 2023, probably hoping that the Americans would change their mind and cave in to use Huawei's 5G. Heard latest, the Brits are keeping the 5G installation from Huawei.

The net result, none of the developed countries has a 5G network, but developing countries are leap frogging them to have their 5G network installed.

The Americans and many developed countries still did not have high speed train system, for similar reasons, though not about security, but chose not to engage China to do the job. On the other hand, developing countries are running high speed trains running. Pakistan, Indonesia, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Turkey, and coming soon in several Asean, and Latin American countries.  5 African countries already have high speed trains running, ie Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya/Uganda, Djibouti, and Dakar.  Poor America and UK are slipping further and further away. Ooops, heard the Brits have commissioned the Chinese to build their first high speed railway as well.

More and more developing countries would soon be operating 5G networks happily and looking funnily at the developed countries that are still stuck with their 4G networks. And more and more developing countries would proudly ride in the high speed trains and sneering at the developed countries that are still operating WW2 train systems.

The developed countries are slipping behind by default, by their own arrogance, pride and animosity, while the developing countries would run away from them with better and modern infrastructures and operating systems. Strange, silly, but it is happening. The developed countries are falling behind the developing countries in some areas and would be falling behind in more areas out of their own stupidity and choice.

Indonesia is going to have high speed trains by November 2022, a step into the future. The USA and UK still cannot smell one. Brazil and Turkey are going to have real 5G communication systems but not the USA, still lying to themselves that their 4G is 5G. And UK is holding dearly to the Huawei 5G installed in 2019 and not willing to dismantle, not willing to let go.

Watch out for the rise of Africa. As individual countries, they are relatively small and have separate identity. As a continent, China is helping Africa in areas that matters, building the infrastructure for economic growth, high speed trains, ports, roads, telecommunications like 5G, dams for hydropower, building new economic zones and industrial parks, education and training, turning their resources, raw materials into real assets to be mined and exported, developed upstream and downstream processes. As a whole, the combined development and eventual wealth of Africa would outstrip even India. Africa does not have the historical baggages of protecting a large indigenous population and industries. Africa is starting with a clean slate and with China helping in the overall planning and execution, the rise of Africa is the next miracle of the 21st Century. 

What did China bring to Africa? Infrastructure, roads, rails, ports, schools, hospitals, telecommunication, electric power by building dams, organisation, education, technology, and wealth, by turning all their resources, minerals, oil etc etc into money, helping Africa to mine them, transport and sell them with railways and ports. China is helping the Africans to capitalise and maximise their wealth and to be in control of their national assets and charting their own future. 

China has shown the developing world it can be done, and will help them to do it, to become developed nations.

PS. Happy Deepavali to all.