Verified Document

Definition Of A Superpower Essay

Superpower China China = Superpower?

During the last four decades, the economic reform and the policy of candidness has made China successful, prosperous and flourishing. Deng Xiaoping's policies of gradual and uncomplicated economic reforms are the main reasons why China has succeeded so rapidly. Moreover, the smooth conversion to a varied economy and the transfer of development tactic from closed-door to openness also catalyzed the whole revolutionary process in the country. However, this swift development of China has been convoyed by a number of complex social, political and ecological problems. Increasing discrimination, perseverance of poverty, dreadful conditions of the environment, bribery, and dilapidated standards of time-honored Chinese ethical and societal standards are the key challenges that China has to deal with in order to grow further. In simple words, China can only have a bright future if it manages to solve these problems (Yao, 2007).

If seen from a pessimistic point-of-view, China would not be able to handle the mentioned constraints and become a real superpower because of the persistent polarization, corruption and fiscal crises. However, if an optimistic approach is taken then it becomes obvious that China has enough potential to preserve its soaring economic growth, diminish unfairness, inequity and poverty in the society, develop and improve the ecological environment, and triumph over the budding problems of energy and material scarcity. In case China achieves these goals, it will outdo Japan by 2017 and the United States by 2037 (Yao, 2007).

Lately, China revealed its Innovation Strategy for the next decade. It has undisclosed its ambitious plans "of moving away from being a low cost manufacturing hub to becoming a leader in strategically important areas such...

Japan was overtaken by China as the 2nd largest economy of the world in 2010. This makes it liable to replace United States of America as the world's largest economy in the next few decades. Presently, the largest foreign currency reserves in the world are possessed by China. In addition, the Asian giant also has a grasp on an astonishing $1.6 trillion worth of American government bonds and debt. The economic strengths of China are likely to get more impetus in the future. They are also strong enough that the country can be labeled as the next superpower in the making. However, the question is whether absolute economic strength is the key factor for a country to make it to the rank of a superpower (Arora, 2011)?
The term "superpower" is usually defined as the union of military, financial, political and cultural power, supremacy and domination. Even though these four features are basically entwined, they are also disconnected in nature. A superpower is a country with the capability to influence events on an international level. Although China has developed its economy to high-ceilinged levels, it still has a lot to do. The per capita income in China is about 6 to 8 times less than that in Japan and United States of America. Also, there is a great disparity in urban-rural income which increase gaps between the poor and rich and ultimately gives rise to a large number of disturbances in the country (Arora, 2011).

However, it is a great sign that Chinese leadership recognizes the amplifying discriminations as a crucial issue. China could eventually emerge as a true superpower if it takes appropriate steps to engage its people living in the rural areas and to reduce wealth inequalities within the country. On the…

Sources used in this document:
References

Arora, S. (2011, March). China - the Next Superpower?. Retrieved July 31, 2012 from http://www.strategicforesight.com/china_superpower.htm

Bandow, D. (2007, January 27). China Rising: The Next Global Superpower. Retrieved July 31, 2012 from http://original.antiwar.com/doug-bandow/2007/01/26/china-rising-the-next-global-superpower/

Yao, S. (2007, April). Can China Really Become the Next Superpower? Retrieved July 31, 2012 from http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cpi/documents/briefings/briefing-21-china-next-superpower.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Definition of a Superpower
Words: 1130 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Superpower Definition of Superpower In order to be a super power, a nation should be compatible to United States of America, which is the world's super power after World War II. America has been on this position from a long span of time and is a dominant state that has the ability to project power on the worldwide scale. Due to the strong hold of USA, it was assumed by many that

Is American Power Declining Are China and India the New World Superpowers ...
Words: 1938 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

American Empire Is There Room at the Top? The question as to whether the United States is currently and will remain a superpower is the topic of much scholarly debate and in the general population around the dinner table. The follow up question to that, of course is, is there room at the top for another superpower, and if so which country or countries will rise to the occasion? Is America really

Heroism: Definition and Explanation
Words: 1751 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

heroism is not new to the world. The word 'hero' often stimulates the thought process of a person in such a way that the person automatically starts thinking about the heroic figures that he or she has heard about in stories, seen in movies or read in fairytales. However, the concept of heroism is slightly different from the common perception of this word. One can ask some questions in

America's International Relations Americanization and Anti-Americanism...
Words: 3764 Length: 11 Document Type: Term Paper

Pictures on the news of American flags being burned seem to appear more often than they used to. Perhaps my generation just isn't used to having our nation criticized to the extent that it has been since our response to September 11; we all know there have been anti-American protests in the past, that flags have been burned and protests against certain American military endeavors waged. Anti-Americanism has many definitions

Conflict and Security in the
Words: 2130 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

This was in keeping with the Marxist principle of a classless society. In the United Nations, the United States has had an equal standing with other nations such as Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The United States has participated in United Nations actions and made a show of being a part of the international community while maintaining its superpower status outside of the United Nations' walls. In light

Studying International Relations
Words: 1699 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

International relations studies is the specialization that focuses on the study of foreign affairs and the global events significantly influence the trend of the states that are within the international system. These systems are categorized as governments, countries, organizations and even people who are the main agents of relations and interchange between people within varying geographical locations (WITS University, 2014). There are pertinent issues that are involved in the study

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now