Countries have extremely diverse paths to economic development , for instance what ' s happening in China is unprecedented and is certainly not the blueprint for the US , yet they ' re able to grow at ~ 7 % because . By blueprint I mean at the microeconomic level of processes and methods of production , construction and distribution , not in terms of macroeconomic development plans . And finally ask yourself , why is China is trying to SLOW their growth rate if high GDP growth is such a desirable trait in any economy ? High growth is absolutely a desirable trait in any economy , but it is not the ONLY desirable trait , and in any case , sometimes attaining longterm growth requires sacrificing some shortterm growth , so even if they were pursuing policies knowing that it would reduce shortrun GDP development , that does not necessarily imply that it is not motivated by the pursuit of growth .