The Republic of China The meteoric rise of the People’s Republic China (just the Republic of China since Taiwan renounced its claims in 2029) in the early 21st century saw it supersede the USA in GDP in 2023, and the demands of its industry and the flexing of political muscle shaped the course of geopolitics for almost fifty years. Although the global stage has since become far more balanced, China remains the world’s largest economy. It has the world’s third largest population after the Indian Federation and the African Union, second if only fully autonomous states are included, and yet unlike similarly populous nations which are still relatively poor, China’s population is made up of an almost ubiquitous, affluent middle class.