Every country wants growth. At its core, growth reflects a country’s capacity to shape its own path, provide for its people, and remain relevant in a world where change is the only constant. Across centuries, the idea of growth has evolved with the times—reshaped by the forces that powered each age. The 19th century ushered in the Industrial Revolution, propelling economies through steam, steel, and scale. The 20th century introduced the Information Age, a time when data and global connectivity became the main drivers of how people worked and communicated. Now, we are deep in the Intelligence Revolution—an era powered by artificial intelligence, automation, and digital ecosystems that are transforming how value is created across industries. And in 2025, it seems like two dominant models of growth, led by the world’s great powers, are defining the global conversation.[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]That’s been especially clear since early 2025. President Trump’s return to the White House has once again moved the conversation away from globalization, as today’s U.S. agenda is notably more inward-facing and unpredictable. Policies are introduced, reversed, and challenged in rapid succession. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, China—the U.S.’s strategic counterweight—is expanding its influence through a different playbook: one that leans on empowering the private sector to drive innovation, scale, and long-term self-reliance.Both the U.S. and China—and, undoubtedly, countries around the world—are pursuing growth, but through fundamentally different paths shaped by history, values, and strategic priorities. Local contexts and global pressures have given rise to different growth playbooks. Some lean more on success by GDP and economic scale, others by happiness, well-being, or environmental resilience.In a world defined by volatility and uncertainty, this raises the question: What kind of growth do we want—and what will it take to get there?The U.S. focus on efficiencyThe U.S. economy today is under acute pressure, with the national debt now exceeding $36 trillion—roughly 122% of GDP, a historically high ratio. GDP shrank at an annualized rate of 0.5% in the first quarter of this year. Although the trade deficit has narrowed in recent months, it remains substantial and reflects deeper structural imbalances. This pressure seems to have prompted the current administration to prioritize short-term economic stabilization, with President Trump’s second-term agenda increasingly shaped by swift, efficiency-driven measures. Recent actions suggest a focus on gaining quick economic returns by leveraging the country’s economic scale, strategic alliances, and longstanding global influence.Cutting government spending has emerged as the administration’s most immediate and politically viable strategy. The creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and other cost-containment measures, including Tighter immigration policies have been adopted in the name of easing the financial strain on public services. International aid and funding were also scaled back dramatically.At the same time, in an effort to boost revenue and reinforce its economic edge, the administration has embraced a more protectionist turn. First, it rolled out a series of Reciprocal Tariffs—targeted measures aimed at giving preferential treatment to U.S.-aligned companies. Second, it intensified pressure on firms to reshore their operations, often leveraging the threat of steep penalties to accelerate the shift. Third, it reallocated funding away from climate initiatives and toward productivity-driven investments—favoring projects that promise faster, more visible economic returns.In the short term, these approaches have yielded some tangible results. Quick cash flow measures have proven politically convenient and stabilizing. DOGE, for instance, has claimed to have unlocked over $190 billion in public savings—though critics argue it has yet to deliver on its broader promise. In the long term, the administration’s economic vision signals a deeper strategic shift: a turn inward, focused on reviving the U.S. so-called Golden Age and prioritizing domestic interests over the country’s historical leadership in global cooperation—an ethos shaped over decades of globalization.But none of these shifts have come without cost. Internally, the administration is facing growing challenges. DOGE has been criticized for blurring the line between public service and private-sector influence. The reciprocal tariff proposals have faced legal challenges, and strict immigration measures have sparked nationwide protests, exposing the social and ethical frictions underlying the country’s shifting priorities.The U.S. growth model is evolving on multiple fronts, anchored in operational efficiency. While efficiency itself is not naturally problematic—in fact, it’s often essential for competitiveness—the methods used to achieve it may carry more long-term tradeoffs than benefits, particularly if speed overrides inclusivity, resilience, or global cooperation.China’s innovation-led self-relianceOn the other end of the global spectrum, China is steadily moving beyond its traditional role as the “world’s factory” and reshaping its growth strategy around innovation and self-reliance. Leveraging its manufacturing base, vast domestic market, and resource capacity, China is positioning its private sector as the primary engine of expansion. This marks what some call a “Second Globalization”—a phase where Chinese companies transition from supplying the West to becoming global players in their own right.The first pillar of this strategy is cost efficiency through self-reliance. To reduce dependence on U.S.-centric systems, China is localizing its entire value chain—from raw materials to high-end products—supporting SMEs and promoting more balanced wealth distribution. The second pillar focuses on breakthrough innovation. Beyond optimizing existing solutions, China is enabling its private sector to develop entirely new products and services—rooted in local insight but ready to compete globally.In the short term, this approach stimulates domestic demand by reinforcing local industries and broadening access to homegrown innovation. By keeping both financial resources and technological expertise within its borders, China boosts supply chain efficiency, strengthens economic sovereignty, and reduces exposure to external shocks. Over the long term, this strategy positions China not just as a global supplier, but as a comprehensive industrial leader—one capable of setting standards and shaping the direction of global markets.What many might not realize is that when tariffs were first imposed by the Trump Administration, China convened top private-sector leaders worldwide to discuss through its Open House Conference. Today, China has become a global leader in R&D and intellectual property. Between 2014 and 2023, Chinese inventors filed over 38,000 generative AI patent families—six times more than their U.S. counterparts—accounting for nearly 70% of such filings globally, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Leading Chinese firms like BYD, Tencent, and Xiaomi are setting global benchmarks in sectors from EVs to telecommunications. In 2024, 133 Chinese firms made the Fortune Global 500, with three in the top 10 by revenue.Unlike the U.S. model, China’s approach may be less confrontational, but through global expansion of its private sector and trade and innovation policies, China is actively building internal strength to lay a durable foundation for long-term, self-powered growth.Where the world turns nextIn today’s high-stakes economic landscape, countries are not just competing—they are rewriting the rules of how growth is created, sustained, and defended. From upstream control of resources to downstream dominance in consumer markets, economic strength is now viewed through the lens of national security. This is the new era of geoeconomics, where tools like trade policy, regulation, and currency power are used as strategic levers of influence and protection of their share of growth. One of the clearest signs of this shift can be seen in the global currency system.For decades, the U.S. anchored the global financial order. The dollar reigned as the world’s reserve currency, backed by the depth of U.S. financial markets, military reach, and widespread institutional trust. But that dominance is being tested. Soaring debt, political polarization, and increasing unpredictability in foreign policy have led countries to reassess their dependence on the U.S.-led system—not necessarily to abandon it, but to reduce their exposure.This has opened the door to a more multipolar financial architecture. China, for example, is actively building a self-contained economic ecosystem around it. As China’s market grows in size, trade volume, and technological reach, so too does the utility of its currency. Within the country, digital yuan-based platforms are now the norm, while foreign financial tools are restricted. Internationally, China is expanding this influence through bilateral trade deals, currency swap arrangements, and infrastructure projects like the Belt and Road Initiative—quietly embedding the yuan into regional and global commerce.But China is not the only actor reshaping the system. The European Union is pushing to expand the euro’s international role. Gulf states are exploring state-backed digital currencies. Regional blocs are building alternative cross-border payment systems to reduce reliance on traditional intermediaries. These developments do mark the emergence of a new order, where financial power is more distributed, contested, and negotiated.To navigate this rapidly changing landscape, countries are moving beyond zero-sum competition toward strategic collaboration. Nations with shared interests are forming alternative economic blocs that reduce dependency on traditional power centers. BRICS and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are key examples, but many newer alliances are emerging around strategic complementarity—where resource-rich nations with limited domestic markets partner with consumer-driven economies lacking technological capacity, creating mutually reinforcing benefits.At the heart of this global shift is a deeper realization that no single model—whether it’s a dominant currency, economic system, or international institution—can be relied on as before. In response, many countries are spreading their risks and diversifying their strategies. Growth is no longer measured by financial factors alone. Instead, nations are looking to new indicators like how quickly they can adapt supply chains, secure reliable energy, build strong digital systems, and earn the trust of their people.A new growth modelAs the U.S. and China double down on different growth strategies, much of the world—particularly emerging economies—finds itself navigating the space in between. But this moment is not about choosing sides. It calls for strategic response, thoughtful repositioning, and a renewed search for relevance in a global system still very much in motion. In this period of transition, momentum is gathering in “the middle”—among those with just enough readiness to move when global tides turn.In the global economy, “the middle” refers to developing countries—nations that are no longer on the sidelines, but not yet global powers. What these countries need is not to choose between isolation or dependence, but to strike a careful balance: a dual effort of building strength at home while staying engaged with the world. This is the idea of “sovereignty interdependence”—being self-reliant enough to stand on their own, yet connected enough to play a meaningful role in the global system.To achieve this, it begins with asking the right domestic questions: What do our people truly need to seize tomorrow’s opportunities? The answers should guide deliberate investments—in education systems that build future-ready talent, digital infrastructure that connects people and ideas, healthcare that ensures well-being, and effective institutions that inspire trust. When a country builds resilience at home, it becomes more attractive abroad—opening doors to new partnerships, capital, and collaboration.This dynamic also plays out at the market level, where “the middle” refers to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are structured enough to scale, yet agile enough to adapt, making them essential to local economies and global supply chains alike. As major powers localize production and redraw supply chains, the role of SMEs becomes increasingly pivotal. In many countries, they account for over 90% of businesses and more than half of employment. When governments and the private sector enable SMEs with capital, technology, and access to markets, they create jobs, attract talent, and build resilience from the ground up.Whether a country looks to the U.S., China, or charts its own course, the real task is not to imitate—but to understand its own context. This applies at every level: nations, businesses, and individuals. In today’s world, racing to be the “best” may no longer serve the purpose—because there is no single finish line, no universal metric for success. What works for one country may not work for another. What matters more is defining a position that is uniquely yours—rooted in local strength and aligned with global opportunity. That position lies in finding the right balance across all dimensions: economic, social, and environmental. This is the essence of “Sustainomy”—a new growth model that integrates people, planet, and profit. And there is no better time to shift from conventional economic thinking to this more holistic approach.Achieving this demands structural change on two fronts: horizontally—by aligning industries and supply chains to work collaboratively toward long-term, inclusive outcomes; and vertically—by rethinking the underlying mindsets, cultural values, and institutional mechanisms that determine how value is defined, distributed, and sustained across generations. In this reset of the global economy, the countries that adopt Sustainomy will be positioned to turn today’s uncertainty into tomorrow’s advantage. For many developing nations, this isn’t just a period of change—it’s a rare, once-in-a-century opportunity to take the lead.For developing countries seeking relevance in a shifting world, let’s grow in a way that is balanced, sufficient, and self-defined—not just for resilience, but for true readiness. Because the future will favor those who are both grounded and globally engaged.