I see your point, agreed.

I think the point was less so to prove that the terms mean anything but to reverse it on neoliberals who constantly cite GDP and spending power as hallmarks of Western superiority. This forces them to acknowledge that it isn’t a “gotcha” anymore (never was ofc) and that they can’t just dismiss any argument about China for that reason. This mostly applies to the whole “new world order” types of neolibs that gripe about how China trades.