Economic prosperity is based on 3 legs, labor, capital, and raw materials. China and India have a large advantage in terms of labor. They're the two most populous nations on Earth. Up until recently, they haven't had access to large amounts of capital. But that's changing as the multi- nationals (companies and banks) compete to invest in those countries. Raw materials have become a global commodity, so having abundant local supplies (which was a huge advantage of the US in an earlier era) is no longer a critical factor.
Russia is a paradox. They have vast natural resources. They have a well educated work force. But they lack capital, and the work ethic to utilize it efficiently. Their government still wants to obstruct rather than promote investment. That could change, but until it does, Russia won't be a major world player.
Absolutely.
Note that the US is also contemplating returning to a capsule type design. Wings on spaceships never made a lot of sense.
Probably most of the world will yawn. Support for space exploration has declined sharply since the Apollo Moon landings. Most people don't see the benefits of space exploration and exploitation. If the Chinese start turning a *profit* on it, though, people will begin to sit up and take notice.
The military advantages of being able to operate from the top of the gravity well are enormous. It is an old military maxim that one should take and hold the high ground. But that's thinking in terms of conventional warfare. In the 21st century, I suspect that most warfare will be carried out by unconventional means (guerilla war, economic war, information war, etc). So conventional military thinking is of less value than in the past.
Gary