The Global Economy’s Marshmallow Test
"When American economists advise China to boost consumption and cut saving, they are merely peddling the bad habits of American culture, which saves and invests far too little for America’s future": I fully agree.
Consumption is the objective of growth, but not a driver of growth. The long-run growth can only be driven by investment, not by consumption.
Historical data also show that in the long run, a higher investment rate is the necessary condition for higher GDP growth, while countries with higher consumption rates, such as most developed economies, would register lower GDP growth.
In China's case, given the already high investment rate as percentage to GDP), the challenge is not to replace investment by consumption as the new growth driver ( which is impossible), but to improve the efficiency of investment, namely the return on investment.