Ever since New York titans vied to build the tallest building, skyscrapers have come to embody ego. In more recent times they’ve also been an expression of national virility. The current bragging rights reside in Dubai where the Burj Khalifa, which opened last year, measures 828 vertical metres. But the Arabian News is now concerned that the Chinese have the Burj in their sights, and worse intend a slightly taller copy of the iconic structure. The newspaper cites reports in the Chinese press that Beijing’s Mentougou district will work with Saudi investors to build a Burj-like skyscraper for $1.3 billion. If true, reckons blog Business Insider, China could become the next candidate to test economist Andrew Lawrence’s theory that major recessions soon follow whenever a country constructs the world’s tallest building.
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