The world is vast, with a total of 193 countries and 31 regions. Every country has its own uniqueness, and there are many similarities between countries. There are many standards for measuring a country's strength, and whether it is developed or not is a very reference for classification.
There are a total of 32 developed countries in the world, almost every one of which is a well-known presence. However, there are also many countries, such as Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Sweden, etc. Although they are developed countries, they are neutral countries with a small population and do not have a strong influence on the world pattern.
Therefore, there is an international standard for measuring a country's world influence, the "5030 Club". This concept was first proposed by a Korean scholar, that is, countries with a population of over 50 million and a per capita GDP of over 30000 US dollars enter the so-called "5030 Club". Several times around the world, only 7 countries are in this club.
The United States is the world's largest country in terms of total GDP, with a population of 330 million. Despite this, its per capita GDP remains at the top with 63400 US dollars (in 2021).
Counting the history of American prosperity can be said to have eaten up the dividends of war and accumulated a lot of unjust wealth. In the 17th century, Britain sent its nationals to settle in the North American colonies. Later, the immigrants from these colonies rebelled against the British government and established the United States.
Afterwards, the United States relied on its natural resource advantages and took the fast train of British industrial revolution technology, quickly becoming a world-class country.
In the two World Wars, the United States relied on its geographical advantage to stand idly by and only sold war resources such as arms and oil, making a huge fortune. At the end of World War II, the United States took the initiative to participate in the war and fiercely divided a large piece of cake, becoming one of the world's superpowers, facing off against the Soviet Union.
During the Cold War, the United States supported its spokesperson in Asia by taking over Japan; They also launched the "Marshall Plan" to control many European countries, ultimately enduring the disintegration of the Soviet Union and becoming the only superpower.
It can be said that the current status of the United States was acquired after hundreds of years of calculation. Long term sedimentation and accumulation have created such an "all-round player".
In terms of economy, the United States dominates numerous high-tech fields such as aerospace, internet information industry, and biotechnology; Among the four major companies that control global food transportation and sales today, the United States monopolizes ADM, Bangui, and Jiaji. All three major industries have obvious advantages.
In terms of culture and education, social media such as Hollywood movies, Twitter, and YouTube in the United States have provided strong influence, adding a lot of fuel to the promotion of cultural hegemony in the United States.
The top ranked universities in the world, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, provide a continuous stream of talent to the United States and attract young talents from many other countries around the world.
The US military strength is even more powerful in the world today: the ten aircraft carriers currently in service exceed the total number of aircraft carriers owned by other countries in the world; The annual military expenditure of over 700 billion US dollars ranks first in the world, equivalent to the sum of the second to 24th places.
The strength of the United States is not only reflected in its hard power, but also in its constantly expanding soft power, which must be paid attention to in the new century pattern.
At first, everyone thought that Germany, the culprit behind World War II, would disappear after its defeat. After being divided into Democratic Germany and Federal Germany due to the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, it seemed as if they had fallen into an invisible abyss.
However, today's Germany, with a population of 83 million and a per capita GDP of $46000 (in 2020), remains the most developed economy in Europe.
After World War II, Germany gradually embarked on a completely different path from before. The new German defense policy indicates that the German military is a purely "defensive" force. As of 2017, the total number of German troops was only 170000, which is about one eighth of the total number of American troops.
Germany shifted its focus on military development to vigorously developing manufacturing industries economically, becoming a leader in the world's cutting-edge manufacturing industry.
Volkswagen, Siemens Porsche, and others are all German companies, with Germany accounting for 27 of the world's top 500 companies.
The German brand is a postcard commonly used worldwide, representing excellent production and advanced technology.
In 2018, Germany was rated as the world's most innovative economy. Innovation drives highly developed industries, keeping Germany firmly at the forefront of the European economy. Germany also strives to explore international markets outside the European Union and has trade relations with almost any country or region around the world.
On par with German industry is German culture, which is rich in poets, thinkers, and philosophers. The great proletarian thinkers Marx and Engels were both Germans, and the world-renowned writers Goethe and Heine were also Germans.
Music can be said to be integrated into the genes of Germans. Nowadays, Germany holds the top music market in Europe and has world-renowned bands such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2011, the BBC conducted a public opinion survey and found that Germany was the country with the highest positive influence, attracting millions of tourists with its strong inclusiveness and colorful holiday celebrations.
Although Germany's influence in politics and military affairs has long declined, it has been a blessing in disguise, and Germany's economy and culture have achieved significant development and progress.
In a sense, the UK and Germany have some commonalities, both of which once influenced countries around the world on their own. Britain is a more established power than Germany, once leading the way through the Industrial Revolution, with colonies spread throughout the world.
Since the United States gained independence from British colonies, after several reshuffles, Britain's overall strength has fallen significantly, and it has no longer had its former glory.
However, the UK still ranks third with a population of 67 million and a per capita GDP of $42400 (in 2019), which is in line with the saying 'a skinny camel is bigger than a horse'.
The world financial center is New York in the United States, followed only by London in the United Kingdom. Since the 1990s, the UK has significantly reduced its social welfare policies, reduced state-owned assets, and provided great opportunities for private capital to play, resulting in rapid economic development.
In terms of agriculture, the UK has long lost the advantage of wheat and other plants, so it simply abandoned its previous plan to use a large amount of land to grow wheat and instead relied on imports.
At the same time as the planting industry has contracted, the livestock industry has developed with high mechanization and intensification, not only meeting domestic demand, but also exporting a large amount to other countries.
Since the 1980s, the manufacturing industry in the UK has been shrinking and declining, with traditional manufacturing industries such as machinery, automobiles, and textiles experiencing the most severe decline compared to before. But the UK intends to retain aviation. The pharmaceutical and other industries are still highly developed and at a world leading level.
The collapse of the manufacturing industry is a concession to the flourishing development of the service industry. Nowadays, the service industry has become the most important pillar of the UK economy, with around 75% of the UK GDP coming from the service industry.
The finance, insurance, and tourism industries are the two main forces in the UK's service industry. The finance industry relies on world financial centers such as London and has always been a blood vessel that affects the pulse of the global economy.
The tourism industry is even more of a golden mountain for the UK, providing 10% of the employed population. Relying on the beautiful natural scenery and unique cultural landscapes, the number of visitors to the UK reaches tens of millions every year.
As mentioned earlier, the strength of American universities is the strongest in the world, and if there is any other country that can compete with one or two, it is only the UK. With world-class universities such as Cambridge University and Oxford University, the education industry in the UK is highly competitive worldwide.
The prosperity of education has provided a surging and never-ending source for the development of high-tech and high value-added industries in the UK. The research level in the UK is very advanced, with 1% of the world's population contributing 9% of papers and 12% of citations, second only to the United States.
Although overall, the overall strength of the UK is no longer as strong as before, it has not yet allowed the sun to set completely, but has maintained a constant temperature and brightness, continuing to hover on one side.
Japan has a population of approximately 125 million, which is slightly more than Germany and the United Kingdom, but its per capita GDP is approximately $40800, which is similar.
Since the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century, Japan has gradually entered modernization, developing from a backward agricultural society to a powerful capitalist developed country in just a hundred years.
To put it mildly, Japan is capable of bending and stretching, and one can speculate on its own if it sounds unpleasant. After the Black Boat Incident, Japan humbly learned from capitalist countries such as the United States and quickly embarked on a path of expansion, experiencing many benefits.
After World War II, Japan, as a defeated country, was taken over by the United States, and continued to be obedient and obedient, becoming the spokesperson of the United States in East Asia. Since then, the United States has changed its attitude towards Japan and started a long-term support program.
Japan seized the opportunity and rose with a leap through the third technological revolution. In terms of semiconductor technology, materials, home appliances, automobiles, and other manufacturing and high-tech industries, Japan has emerged and developed rapidly.
In 1968, Japan's GDP ranked second in the world, second only to the United States, but there is still a significant gap between the two. But 20 years later, Japan's total economic output has reached about 70% of that of the United States. Although it is unlikely to surpass the United States in the short term, Japan is already internationally recognized as the most likely to surpass the United States.
However, Japan's rise relies on its close relationship with the United States, which can be described as a 'success or failure'. In the close connection between the two, Japan has always been in a disadvantageous position.
With a sense of crisis, the United States began to sanction and suppress Japan, acquiring many Japanese semiconductor companies, which directly led to the disappearance of Japan's semiconductor advantage.
The most fatal reason is that the Plaza Accord of the United States led to the crazy appreciation of the yen. Finally, the financial industry and the real estate industry produced a large number of economic foam. When these foam were punctured, Japan's economy suddenly became depressed and entered the so-called "lost twenty years".
Until now, Japan has not fully emerged from the suppression by the United States. Moreover, after experiencing these experiences, Japan has become even more obedient and loyal to the United States, and must play the role of its own follower well.
France is a country that has a sense of presence that is sometimes high and low, likes to be low-key and very dazzling. The population is only 67 million, and the per capita GDP is as high as 38800 US dollars. This impressive achievement makes France worthy of its status as one of the "Five Constants".
The history of France's founding is very tortuous. In less than two hundred years, it underwent two empires and five republics, and it was not until General Charles de Gaulle established the Fifth Republic in 1958 that it ceased to exist. France was not only passionate about its own revolution, but also once supported American independence in order to confront Britain.
As the country that once had the most hope of competing for supremacy with the "sun never sets", France's strength has never been underestimated. Although France surrendered after only a month in World War II, it led today's netizens to take advantage of the opportunity to use the white flag as the French national flag and hold their hands flat as a French military salute.
After World War II, France was not controlled by the United States like other European countries and maintained its independent status well. In 1960, France successfully developed nuclear weapons, becoming the fourth country in the world to possess nuclear weapons at that time.
Afterwards, France was very dissatisfied with the United States' deeper control of NATO and withdrew from it in 1966. France has been in conflict with the United States in many aspects, not only rejecting the US arrangement to deploy nuclear weapons in France, but also expelling the US military stationed in France.
In the world's impression, France is a romantic country. France also relies on one hand romance to eat, and French luxury goods such as LV, Chanel, Dior, etc. have been consumed worldwide, making it difficult to meet opponents.
France's military industrial system is also relatively independent, capable of independently manufacturing military strategic weapons such as aircraft, tanks, submarines, and ships. This is also the root of France's stubbornness, after all, having a gun in hand and not panicking in the heart.
In 2009, France returned to NATO. Part of the reason for this move is that NATO's relationship with the EU has become increasingly close. France wants to stabilize and improve its position in the EU, and a very effective way is to rejoin NATO and take a leading role.
At present, France still maintains a certain degree of influence internationally, and its economic, political, and military strength cannot be underestimated. But if France wants to revive its past glory and gain enormous global influence, there is still a considerable difficulty.
Italy has a population of 60 million and a per capita GDP of 33000 US dollars. Italy is the origin of the Renaissance, and its long cultural history gives it a profound and charming charm.
The Italian Empire was established in 1871, and after unification, Italy caught up with the Second Industrial Revolution, with rapid industrial development and quickly became one of the most advanced countries in the world at that time.
During World War I and World War II, Italy wanted to use the war to make a windfall and joined the war twice. But Italy either paddled or stood in the wrong team during the two World Wars. In 1943, Italy, which was originally one of the Axis powers, suffered heavy losses and had to surrender.
After years of war, the Italian economy was in a mess, with frequent livelihood issues and a near collapse. But Italy seized the opportunity after the war and became one of the founding six countries of the European Community, with its economic growth rate doubling compared to before World War II.
At that time, apart from Federal Germany and Japan, Italy had the fastest economic growth rate. Similar to Germany, Italy follows the path of industrial manufacturing and is the second largest manufacturing power in the European Union, second only to Germany.
98% of domestic enterprises in Italy are small and medium-sized enterprises, which has both advantages and disadvantages. The fierce competition among small and medium-sized enterprises has improved the overall product quality and manufacturing level, but it is difficult to concentrate capital, which also leads to the inability to support cutting-edge technology research and investment, and has stuck the national manufacturing industry at a bottleneck.
Italy's tourism industry is very developed, relying on rich natural and cultural landscapes, and foreign tourists consume over 40 billion euros annually in Italy.
Italy has always relied on consumption from abroad for its food. 40% of Italy's gross domestic product is generated by foreign trade. The exported products range from mechanical instruments to clothing and shoes.
In addition, it must be mentioned that Italian sports cars, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and other world-renowned sports car brands, are all located in Italy.
Overall, Italy's military strength is really limited, and it is extremely difficult to make money through war. Instead of fantasizing about these things, it's better to focus on developing, producing, and selling more things.
South Korea is the last member of the "5030 Club", with a population of 52 million and a per capita GDP of 31000 US dollars, both of which have just met the standards.
However, it is surprising that it only took 50 to 60 years for South Korea to reach this stage from a new country.
After the end of World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union sent troops to the Korean Peninsula, which, like Germany, became a game ground for the confrontation between the two superpowers. In 1948, the Republic of Korea, supported by the United States, was established on the Korean Peninsula, which was then divided into two parts.
The newly established South Korea has a very weak economic foundation, but since the 1960s, its economy has started to develop rapidly. In just over thirty years, the per capita GDP has increased from $87 to over $10000, a thousand fold increase.
The economic miracle is not just a moment of good luck. The achievement of such brilliant achievements in South Korea's economy is closely related to the vigorous development of the manufacturing industry.
South Korea's manufacturing industry is very developed, especially in shipbuilding, car manufacturing, and steel industries, which are also at the forefront of the world.
The development of traditional manufacturing, with the steel industry as the main body, provided the foundation for South Korea to establish an economic tower. The real factor that allowed South Korea's economy to take off in the new century is also that it seized the opportunity of the information technology industry and established a wide range of markets worldwide.
South Korean large enterprises represented by Samsung Group provide high-speed internet services, as well as product devices such as LCD screens and mobile phones, to the world. Starting early and developing rapidly, South Korea has become a true electronics industry powerhouse.
Economic achievements are impressive, but in terms of culture, South Korea is somewhat admirable. In terms of literature and art, a large part of Korean culture originates from China. However, in recent years, South Korea has been applying for Chinese cultural heritage, which is still somewhat petty.
Although South Korea's comprehensive strength has already reached the level of developed countries, it was not until 2021 that South Korea officially applied for a change of status at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which gained recognition from all member countries and became a developed country.
Taking into account the development history of these seven "5030 Club members", it is not difficult to see that except for South Korea, which is a rising star, all other developed country powers have achieved their current status through long-term accumulation.
Achieving it overnight is an unrealistic idea, and behind every major leap requires countless years of sedimentation and persistence. Although South Korea developed rapidly, it took over 60 years to become a developed country.
China's towering posture far surpasses South Korea's unknown geometry, and the path of achievement is naturally much more difficult than it.
Long and hard work leads to great success. Although there are still significant differences between China and these countries in terms of per capita GDP, we do not need to underestimate ourselves.
Since the reform and opening up, China has repeatedly created world miracles and greatly improved its international status. In just 40 years, it has completed catching up and anti surpassing.
Although the international situation is turbulent and turbulent, China can remain steadfast and maintain a stable and positive trend.
Of course, we also need to be clearly aware that there is a long way to go, and the road ahead is long and arduous. At present, China is facing bottlenecks and obstacles in social transformation and industrial upgrading, which need to be taken seriously and handled with caution.
The great rejuvenation of China cannot be achieved without the perseverance and efforts of each and every one of us, as well as the exploration and progress. As long as 1.4 billion Chinese people are connected and shoulder to shoulder, they will be able to overcome all difficulties and solve numerous contradictions and problems.
1. What is a developed Western country? Teaching Design for Leweiguo Primary School
2. From Developing Countries to Developed Countries: Korea's Leap Forward: Dong Xiangrong's World Knowledge
3. The main experience of developed countries in building international discourse power: Zuo Fengrong, Liu Yong