While China the civilization is the oldest unbroken civilization in human history with a culture dating back 3000 years, the PRC is a relatively young entity as far as nation states go. A 73 year old who was born the same year the PRC was proclaimed by Mao atop Tiananmen Square would have gone through the GLF, Korean War, Cultural Revolution, Sino Soviet Split, reform and opening up, and modernization. We must not take their contributions for granted, which can only be measured in blood and tears. Without this generation (1940-1970) there would be no New China.
We will see the economic impact of "living with covid" in like 5 years or so, because for me it seems like it's just a "buying some time for the economy" measurement.
Romania is right around the World Bank threshold and Poland is well above the threshold. China is only a little below the threshold and will likely become a "high income" country in the next couple of years assuming growth does not slow down too much from current trajectory.
you have to look cost of living. Eastern EU cost of living is increasingly getting converge with Western EU without same income and service level. for example Western EU got vaccines much earlier than Eastern EU. Western EU can absorb both covid and vaccine impacts better as it can always import more people.
