B2 – Upper Intermediate
China is considered the world’s second-largest economy. With the recent economic crises that the economic powerhouse is confronted with, US President Joe Biden described its economy as a ‘ticking time bomb’.
On contrary, Chinese President Xi Jinping believes their country’s economy has “strong resilience, tremendous potential, and great vitality”.
Read this article to learn more about China’s economic problems.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66636403
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “ticking time bomb” mean? “US President Joe Biden described the world’s second-largest economy as “a ticking time bomb, predicting growing discontent in the country.” Use this phrase in your own sentence.
- What does “to ride a wave of something” mean? “For two decades, the sector boomed as developers rode a wave of privatization. But crisis struck in 2020.” Use this phrase in your own sentence.
- What does “meltdown” mean here, “The government, fearing a US-style 2008 meltdown, then put limits on how much developers could borrow.”? Use this phrase in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- In your own words, discuss China’s economic crisis.
- How do you think China’s economic crisis could affect the world economy?
- What are some economic crises that your country is facing right now and what do you think caused it.
- “A change of economic direction requires a change of political ideology.” Do you think China should consider changing some of its political ideologies? Talk about your opinion.
- “There could be a danger that Mr Xi is prioritizing ideology over effective governance, or control over pragmatism.” Share your thoughts on this.