China and India are both industrial nations that have suffered from immense poverty in part due to their overpopulation. These issues are perhaps more prominent in India, which is an objectively smaller landmass, but both countries have massive swaths of farmland where poverty-stricken farmers work to support their families in a manner close to subsistence. Both countries, however, have grown and developed economically rather significantly in the last decade, as the outsourcing of computer jobs and other tasks have led to factories and call centers being built and more of the people in these countries having upward mobility. In India this is mostly witnessed through the advent of call centers. In China the creation of “sweat shops” has had a similar impact.

Population
China’s population is 1.379 billion as of 2016 and the population of India is 1.324 billion. As this shows, while China’s population is slightly larger, comparative to the size of the country, India has experienced far more overcrowding. There are tremendous lands in China that are sparsely populated and one many find a plethora of small villages where only a hundred or so people live in harmony. In India, in stark contrast, most of the country is a city or village and while a place may not even have electricity there will still be thousands of people living in close proximity. India does not have a child policy like China and has done little or nothing to curb overpopulation. This is a major difference between the countries, as China has done basically everything it can to limit the population and to try and stop people from overbreeding. This is a major difference between the two countries, with China’s efforts being arguably much more responsible.

Highlights of History
Both China and India have long and interesting histories. For a thousand years the Chinese built a wall that is the largest in all of history. The English once colonized India and after the great Gandhi spoke out about it they gained true self-determination and independence. India and Pakistan were once one country but Pakistan broke off and is now Muslim. China created Hong Kong as a capitalist city-state still paying taxes into the government but not bound by the communist regulations that run the remainder of the country. Both China and India are incredibly unique places that have lots of value, whether one is a tourist or a student or a businessperson. All of these factors affect the history of these great nations and highlight what makes them what they are.

Current Political System
China has the most complex and rich political system, as it remains essentially communist even as much of the country has moved past that. The difference between views among the countryside and the cities is perhaps even starker than in America. In the rural farmland of China people still believe in Communism and they believe that it can provide for them. Many even believe that Mao was a good leader. Alternatively, in Hong Kong capitalism reigns and the city appears similar to Hiroshima or Tokyo. In India, capitalism is the norm and the country has benefited from serving the United States and other nations by offering call centers and technical support for companies so big they need to overflow into new nations. India has worked to support these nations and their companies and the result has seriously bolstered their economy.

Current Level of Economic Development and Life Expectancy
The Chinese GDP is 11.2 trillion USD. The Indian GDP is 2.264 trillion USD. This is clearly one of the areas where the two countries differ. While both have similar populations, China’s population is producing far more products that can be sold. As a result, China’s income as a whole country is far higher. This may change in the future as India works to get its population issues under control and continues to welcome industry into the country. However, this elucidates the real need for population control. India simply has too many babies being born that cannot be taken care of and are not old enough to work. By contrast, in China, where there are tough regulations about how many children to have, the population is largely working age and successful. This is why China’s life expectancy is higher than that in India.

Analysis
Based on the aforementioned facts it appears clear that China is currently ahead of India. But will it remain that way? It appears likely that India will improve once it gets its population issues under control, which are greatly needed in part because of the extreme population density. If India continues to work to gain call centers and factories it will be able to create more jobs and therefore a higher GDP. For China to succeed it needs to embrace capitalism everywhere. While cities like Hong Kong are doing very effectively, for the nation to truly soar it needs to adopt this mentality everywhere. As long as the farmlands are largely communist and the politics that operate the country are similar, there will be many problems. Both China and India have grown innumerably in the last two decades but the question of which country will outpace the other is not certain. While it currently appears like China is ahead, it is held back by its refusal to let go of old world political ideas. In India, the future is already approaching because the country adopts the same globalist capitalist mindset as cities like New York and London. This makes it easier for the country to adapt to the rigors of capitalism and to create the jobs necessary to compete internationally.