A country or region will only become a cultural exporter, once it is an economic powerhouse. Until that is the case, it will ape the cultural exports of the dominant economic/political power. The extent to which the cultural power extends is the extent to which the rest of the world wants to be like that leader. The extent to which China becomes a design producer will depend on how much the rest of the world wants to be like China or follow in its footsteps. This is not to say that Chinese designers will not produce good design- but that design that comes from a Chinese viewpoint will only arise from confidence that customers will consume Chinese cultural exports.