Manchester is a shadow of what it was in the 19th century, with its cotton mills and trade links across the world.

ECONOMIST: A city with a mission, and still some way to go

His voyages opened up large-scale trade links between the Old World and the New.

BBC: News | World | Columbus tops millennium poll

Now consider the potential size of a first-world economy in much of China--with sufficient openness and rule of law--plus the likely international links as its membership in the World Trade Organization kicks in.

FORBES: Fat of the land