The West Is Indebted Because China Is Not

The NYT ran a confused column by Kwasi Kwarteng, a Conservative member of the U.K.'s parliament, calling for China to adopt the gold standard. The piece has many bizarre claims, most importantly attributing the U.K.'s prosperity in the 19th century and the U.S.'s prosperity in the post-World War II period to the gold standard, as opposed to the strength of their manufacturing sectors and overall economy.

However the most misleading item is the contrast of China, which does not have much gover...