China will be the next global superpower Research Paper

China will be the next global superpower - Research Paper Example Defining a Superpower When we look at the generic use of the term ‘super power’, the term refers to those selective states with power. Power in this perspective is defined by a series of prominent variables put together. These could be economic wealth, population size, military strength, and the possession of sophisticated nuclear armaments. Alice Lyman Miller, a professor at the National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School defines a super power in the following words â€Å"a country that has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time." A super power comprises of four components that are dominant over all other qualifying elements; Military, economic, political and cultural. Hegemony, a Greek term for leadership plays a critical role in paving way for this supremacy. It is the ability to dictate policies of other nations. If we look back towards Roman and British empires this feat was accomplished by brute force. Germany attempted to benefit from it in the late 1930s and Russia’s efforts to work at it never really succeeded in the global sense. China however is often looked upon as regionally hegemonic. The U.S. achieved hegemony not just through sheer military might but through economic, political and cultural influence – factors that many perceive are diminishing now. A few years back, the presidential hopeful Ron Paul echoed what many analysts perceive: The "dollar hegemony" — U.S. currency's strength and attractiveness —  has been a key factor in U.S. dominance, but "our dollar dominance is coming to an end." And China has become a great power in a "spectacular" rise over the past two decades (Miller). China China is one of the earliest recorded human settlements in the world with nearly 4000 years of continuous history. It covers an Area of 16,800 square kilometers and has a population of about $1.3 7 billion. It is a communist state and its GDP is about $ 4.99 Trillion. Its currency is the Yuan and the capital of China is Beijing (China facts, web). China's population of 1.3 billion renders it the most populous nation on earth, accounting for a fifth of the world's population; while at almost 10 million square kilometers it is the third largest country after Russia and Canada. Its 2.25 million troops form the world's largest armed force. China's reputation as a major military power is crowned by the possession of nuclear weapons that are capable of all ranges and delivery modes. Economically, it is the world's fourth largest trading nation, having risen from 32nd  in 1978 and 10th  in 1997. Its GDP at 13% of world output (at purchasing power parity) is second to the US. China, inheritor of 5,000 years of civilization, is also the world's fastest developing economy in the present age, having grown an average of 9.5% annually for the past 20 years. Such high growth rates, lo w labor costs and a huge emerging market, have attracted the world's highest levels of foreign direct investment. Since China joined the World Trade Organization in December 2001, it has also become one of the most open economies in the developing world, with average tariffs dropping from 41% in 1992 to 6% after accession to WTO. China’s education system Despite the economic, military and political growth of China its education system due to the presence