Being a superpower requires certain things: being a world
leader in economics, culture and education; having a strong military presence;
and being influential on an international basis.
China is now generally seen as the next candidate for the
superpower distinction. It is in a two-way fight with the United States for the
most foreign interests. These interests serve a purpose, but what they all add
up to is control of foreign resources and commodities, as well as in a
militaristic sense. There is currently a sense of competition between the two
states, in terms of military, trade partners and rights to natural resources:
all factors in contributing to the title of superpower.
The difference between the two countries is that America has
debts of over $15trillion, and China is the world’s largest exporter with a
growth rate averaging 10% over the last 30 years.
China has many problems: China's population of more than 1.3
billion people does not have the resources to adequately care for itself.
Furthermore, China is recognised internationally as having an appalling Human
Rights record. Freedom of speech is limited, and many liberties we in the West
take for granted are not shared with China’s booming population. The Chinese
government often uses the subversion of state power and the protection of state
secret clause in its Constitution to imprison those who are critical of the
government: a topic that has been in the news only this week regarding the human
rights activist Chen Guangcheng.
This has resulted in massive waves of emigration from China.
For example, a recent trend shows that during the last decade, over 750,000
Chinese have moved to Africa. Air and
sea routes are increasing between China and developing African nations as
massive deals are made for commodities, trade, labour and military cooperation.
Chinese private schools, embassies and cultural centres are popping up in
places like Rwanda, Nairobi and Angola. Angola even has its own ‘Chinatown’
district, like many Western cities. Similarly, China has reached out to Latin
America as well, bypassing the United States as Brazil's Number One trading
partner, with rising influence in the surrounding countries.
With this amount of political influence in the developing
world, twinned with a population of over one billion people, as well as an
economy that is seen by many as almost single-handedly driving the global
economy, it is no wonder that many people are saying that China is ready to
jump into America’s seat as the next global superpower.

SUCH A BRAVE VIEWPONT.
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