China’s villages pay the price for Beijing’s AI ambitions

Residents in the remote Shaoguan region hope that Beijing's AI infrastructure push will finally trigger a long-awaited economic boom. Simultaneously, the global monetary system remains heavily influenced by the U.S. dollar. Since the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement, the dollar has served as the official reserve currency, expanding U.S. monetary power. Many nations, including China, which relies on export-driven growth, have become deeply integrated into a global economy dependent on the dollar's continued dominance.