China prepares for leadership change

China is preparing for a change of leadership over the coming months as President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders step down after a decade in charge.

During that time China has become a driving force in the world economy, four times richer in terms of national wealth, creating a middle class of 300 million people.

In his recent article for The Conversation, Dr James Laurenceson from the University of Queensland argues "one of the most common explanations of China's high savings rate is the lack of a comprehensive social security system".

In this video, BBC reporter John Simpson compares the rapid economic and political changes in China to the British industrial revolution.