China Superpower Status - Essay Example

As identified, the factors that were considered in ranking these economies are: “institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labor market efficiency, financial market sophistication, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication, and innovation” (Ali, 2010, par. 2). In an article written by Miller (2006) in an attempt to assess China as an emerging superpower, the author initially proffered the need to determine the crucial elements that define a country being classified as a ‘superpower’, to wit: “a “superpower” is 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, and so may plausibly attain the status of global hegemon” (Miller, 2006, par. 4). .

nents that were deemed critical to categorize a country as generating the status of a superpower were pinpointed as “measured along four axes of power: military, economic, political, and cultural” (Miller, 2006, par. 5). In this regard, the essay aims to identify the reasons for China’s ascent to super power status using the components above mentioned. Reasons for China’s Ascent to Superpower Status Consistent with Miller’s (2006) contentions that identified the crucial components for superpower status, the study written by Xuetong (2006) likewise supported that the same elements, eminent strength in military power, political and economic power have paved the way for China’s ascent.

Xuetong’s (2006) assessment indicated that with data compiled in 2003, from among seven states, France, Britain, Russia, Japan, Germany, and India, China emerged as the sole country with strong power status on the three identified components (pp. 20 – 21). France, Britain and Russia manifest strong military and political powers, but weak economic power. 1. Economic Power The tremendous growth in China’s economy spurred by the expansion in manufacturing of diverse products at practically the lowest labor cost from among international economies have paved the way for its ascendance to strong economic power status.

The statistics reveal the China’s GDP ranks second from among the countries in the world. As noted by Miller (2006), “China’s rise further depends critically on the continuation of such growth rates, and there are reasons to wonder how long the spectacular rates of the past 25 years can continue. The high proportion of China’s economy occupied by its exports makes it sensitive to the ups and downs of the international economy generally and to the engine of