China: The Next Superpower

A superpower is a country that has global influence over other nations in political,

military, technological and cultural spheres; and China is rising as a strong contender for the

next superpower. Among the oldest continuing civilization on the planet, China has evolved

from a mainly agrarian civilization to an industrial and economic powerhouse. In the past five

decades, the reforms introduced in China have made the nation the second largest economy in

the world, with the expectations that it will soon surpass the United States as the largest

economy. The expanding economy and its rapidly growing military have led many people to

believe that it is just a matter of time before China becomes the next global superpower.

However, there are various reasons that suggest it might not be the case. Unless issues such as

lack of global support, overpopulation, and military issues are resolved, it is unlikely China will

become a superpower in ten years.

China lacks the necessary global support in the current political climate to become a

superpower. A major reason why the United States rose to superpower status was mainly

because of the Breton Woods conference held after the Second World War. In this conference,

it was agreed that the exchange rates would be fixed on the gold standard, with the US dollar as

the reserve currency. As a result, the dollar became the most important currency and the United

States became the foundation for global economic stability. On the other hand, China lacks the

global trust showed to the US after the Second World War, as evidenced by the fact that the

Chinese currency is not a contender for the world’s reserve currency. As most countries are not

willing to support the Chinese currency, the country lacks the necessary global support to

become a global superpower.

 Overpopulation is another issue hindering China’s elevation to superpower status. As of

the year two thousand seventeen, China’s population was over 1.3 billion people, approximately

a fifth of the entire global population. The country’s population is a large strain on China's

natural resources especially as the standards of living rise and lead to an increase in the demand

for resources. Although various measures, such as the one-child policy, have been implemented

to slow population growth, they have only made the problem worse resulting in an aging

population that is predominantly male. As a result, although, the country is overpopulated, the

country’s labor force is shrinking. China is thus unlikely to become a superpower as the aging

population and the shrinking labor force means that the country will become more dependent on

foreign resources to satisfy its needs.

Issues in the Chinese military also prevent the country from becoming a global

superpower. China has invested heavily in the growth of its military; however, the Chinese

military lags behind the most powerful militaries in the world in terms of training and

equipment. It takes a lot of money to train and equip a military of China's size. However,

corruption overruns in costs, issues in quality control enforcement, and delays and monopolies

in the Chinese defense industry place China at a disadvantage when it comes to equipping and

training its military. Additionally, the Chinese military lacks adequate combat experience as the

country has not engaged a foreign enemy in the last four decades. The lack of experience in

comparison to countries such as Russia, the UK, and the US means China is not in a position to

become a superpower.

In conclusion, although China is making major strides towards globalization in the

economic and technological sectors, China has the potential to become a superpower. However,
issues such as lack of global support, overpopulation, and an inexperienced military indicate

that is not ready to become the number one superpower in ten years.