#119 Planet Money: China Gives Us A Pep Talk

NPR business correspondent Frank Langfitt headed to China a few weeks ago expecting to find a triumphant people. The Chinese economy has recovered much more quickly than many parts of the world and Langfitt says he thought people would be gloating. But that just wasn't the case, instead Langfitt found himself being comforted by the Chinese about the strength of the United States.

Many people he spoke to said their country still has a long way to go before overtaking the U.S. economy. Part of the reason, factory workers in the southern part of the country have seen layoffs that Langfitt says, just can't be compared to Detroit. Returning to factories he had visited years ago, Langfitt found doors locked and furniture strewn about outside. Why's that? It's simple — Americans have stopped buying.