#85 Planet Money: Can China Save America's Bacon?

China's all over the headlines these days, as its economy recovers faster than the U.S. one. World newspapers trumpet the communist nation's rise, with stories like "Asia recovery show's China's ascendance" and "China to surpass U.S. 'within a decade.'"

Analyst David Gordon, head of research at Eurasia Group, says it's true that the Chinese responded to the global recession with a fast, effective stimulus program. The rest is hype, Gordon says, since the China's economy is nowhere near big enough or dynamic enough to save the rest of the world.

Plus: Listener Aimee Ennis checks in from her interrupted subdivision in Clover, South Carolina, where the developer is — gasp! — building homes again.