[watchfirst9]

The problem of a big population you mentioned for India is something which China had been through already, and there can be lessons which India can learn. 

Having said that, India's population is now slightly bigger than China's but we need to also break the demographic down by age groups. When we do that, things shant look goot for Tiongkok lorh.

You see, China's 1.4 b peepur are older, less energetic and less likely to spend. The last one is why the Chinese government failed in its effort to raise its GDP by stimulating consumption. There might be some home grown companies which are pretty big. Country Gardens is also big, and big in debt which already qualified it as not a going concern for the foreseeable future.

If you do a SWOT for both countries, China is facing more W and T than it has S and especially O. Singapore was in the same economic predicament which China is in now but we moved quickly to sunrise industries and  producing higher value-added goods and services. 

Above all and very importantly, our low TFR was a disguised blessing. It enabled us to replace our population by recruiting the best young minds from everywhere in the world. Had we made our own babies, we might have ended up with a high proportion of losers who can't make it to become a doctor, IT professional, banker and can only do low skilled work which are going to be few and far between with AI powered automation and the use of robotics. 

FTs may not join me in doing a Kallang Roar and clapping for Joseph Schooling but they enable my country to exist. Without FTs, we can still live. Who says a man with one arm and one leg missing cannot live? Cannn. 

Our young FT population is what India has on a larger scale.

The theory you believe in does not factor resources, overseas market condition, number of competitions, change of technologies
other than age of people.

Only one country in last 200 yrs that achieved developed industrial country with rapid population rise is USA. They able to do so because they able increase 4 times its original territories and all major competitors in ruin at certain period of time, being world top trading currency and setting standard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co...median_age
Spore median age is brought down due to younger new citizens, PRs and skilled workers.
Reality is Spore local born citizens should be around HK.