Random thoughts - some weighty, some trivial, some downright silly - from a recent trip to China.

1)  The recession has put a dent in China’s growth. Their economy will grow by only – ONLY – 8 percent this year.

2)  Many of the Chinese I spoke to blame the U.S. for the recession, and say China will lead the world out of it.

3)  Any small problem, multiplied by 1.3 billion, becomes a big problem.

4)  The Chinese I spoke to have no interest in a military conflict with the U.S. They’d rather beat us in the marketplace.

5)  China needs us and we need them, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon.

6)  Facebook doesn’t work in China. Googling “Tiananmen Square” is not recommended.

7)  Chinese officials like to say “there’s an old Chinese expression that…”

8)  For all of China’s magnificent sky scrapers and gleaming airports and subways, more than 700 million people still live in rural areas relatively untouched by globalization.

9)  China already has the world’s largest auto market; the world’s largest telephone market, and the most Internet users.

10)  American companies will start to see China as more than just the factory to the world. With growth in discretionary income, the Chinese are increasingly consumers, too.

11)  Having an authoritarian central government means the Chinese can act much more swiftly than a Democracy. Congressional hearings? Town Hall meetings? Public opinion polls? If the government wants it done, it’s done.

12)  China has one time zone – Beijing Time – though it’s larger than the contiguous United States.

13)  China holds $1.2 trillion (USD) in reserves. That, along with all the business we give Wal-Mart, ensures that China is tied to us, and vice versa.

14)  China’s thirst for energy – one new coal plant a week the past few years - mean decades of environmental challenge. But will China also surpass the U.S. when it comes to renewable energy? They’re on the way to being the world’s No. 1 user of wind energy.

15)  Still, China has replaced U.S. as the world’s top carbon emitter; it’s also likely to replace America as the world’s greatest obstacle to climate change accords.

16)  China is putting a lot of resources into producing reliable, affordable electric cars. Will they beat us to the punch?

17)  Think gas prices in the U.S. are high now? Just wait until all 1.3 billion Chinese can afford a car.

18)  China has 118 cities with populations of 1 million or more. How many can you name?

19)  The people were far friendlier than I expected. I’ve heard more rude comments about America in a single afternoon in Paris than I heard in one month in Asia.

20)  It may have helped that several Chinese people told me I was tall. One even asked whether my height made me a good basketball player. I’m 5’10”.

21)  Chinese politicians could teach their American counterparts a thing or two about double-speak, vaguery and non-answers to questions.

22)  Corrupt politicians and business people in the U.S. have it lucky. In China, crooked bureaucrats and energy executives can end up on death row.

23)  The Chinese government doesn’t want a nuclear North Korea, but they want instability in the region even less.

24)  The Chinese government will be patient with Taiwan, hoping their economic growth and hands-off approach to Hong Kong will slowly soften Taiwan’s heart.

25)  Where in the world is an 8 percent rate of annual economic growth considered a recession? China.

26)  I heard the same metaphor from two different Chinese officials and one American analyst: “China is like a supertanker (one said aircraft carrier). It can’t change directions very quickly, and if it does, beware of the wake.”

27)  Hong Kong sure doesn’t feel like a city technically part of a communist country.

28)  Perhaps China is communist just because that’s what the communist party says it is.

29)  You know Mao wouldn’t like it that your government chaperone from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs prefers talking about shoe shopping to discussing communist theory.

30)  Economic reforms have far outpaced legal reforms. Enforceable contracts? Stare decisis? Common law? Not here.