Ascent to Superpower Status of the China - Essay Example

China: Super Power Status The essay aims to identify the reasons for China’s ascent to super power status, by addressing and evaluating the justifications according to accuracy of information, credibility of sources, explanation of historical and political contexts, clarity of ideas and logical presentation of materials, among others. China: Super Power Status The developments in economies globally has seen the rapid ascent of China, a country that surpassed the growth of others nations in terms of specifically identified factors. A quick glimpse at the statistics from the top ten economies of the world in 2010 (Ali, 2010) revealed that the United States still top the list with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $14.3 trillion, followed by China, reporting a GDP of $8.8 trillion, surpassing the position previously assumed by Japan. 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). In another discourse written by Xuetong (2006), the author justified the need to arrive at a justifiable assessment of China’s power status globally given that the power status is relative and that, as emphasized, “to assess China’s power status and its progression, one should focus on China’s power status in proportion to the power status of other states, instead of solely on the absolute differences in the power of two states” (Xuetong, 2006, p. 12). More importantly, the components 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 American consumption in particular” (par. 19). The news published in China Daily (2010) revealed the China overtakes Germany as the world’s top exporter, a feat significantly achieved in a number of years, to wit: “Chinas customs reported that total 2009 exports were more than $1.2 trillion, well ahead of the 803.2 billion euro ($1.1 trillion) that Germany reported” (China Daily, 2010, par. 3). 2. Military Power According to Xuetong (2006), China’s military power is assessed from the comparative performance of above mentioned countries. The national defense expenditure as the measure of power and strength reveals that the United States remain to be the world leader spending more than 43% of the total world expenditures amounting to $1.6 trillion for defense (Shah, 2011). This is followed by “the China (7.3% of world share), UK (3.7%), France (3.6%), and Russia (3.6%)” (Shah, 2011, par. 3). As the second in line, China’s percentage of military expenditure amounting to $116.8 million surpassed all other countries substantially. Their military strategy includes “developing a new generation of strategic and tactical missiles, building a much more capable navy and has bought advanced aircraft from Russia” (Miller, 2006, par. 20), among others. 3. Political and Cultural Power Xuetong (2004) emphasized that “political turbulence can cause a state’s comprehensive power to diminish severely and rapidly, and it alter’s a state’s power status at a faster rate than does economic development” (p. 24). In this regard, the political stability sustained over the years when “China’s international prestige and political influence grew as Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in the 1980s transformed China’s economy and its relationship to the world” (Miller, 2006, par. 29). China’s increased participation in Asian treaties and in the international community proved that their form of government has been effective in sustaining and supporting growth and development, not only on a national scale, but on a global level. In terms of cultural power, China as continued to participate in international events that highlight cultural tradition and values. As Miller (2006) averred, “more and more American students are studying Chinese rather than French as their second language of choice and are taking time out for study in China itself, a decision that undoubtedly reflects growing perceptions of China as a land of opportunity” (Miller, 2006, par. 33). Conclusion Given the rapid pace by which China surpassed supremacy in all components of attaining superpower status, by and large, China has indeed attained the status as a legitimate superpower, second in line to the United States. The remarkable growths in economic, political, cultural and military powers that enabled China to surpass other developed countries such as Japan, France, Britain, Russia, Japan, Germany, and India are a feat difficult to parallel, given the amount of time that China attained the leadership power and status on a global scale. References Ali, M. (2010). Top Ten Economies Of The World In 2010, The Best Progressing Economy. Retrieved 20 May 2011. < http://www.einfopedia.com/top-ten-economies-of-the-world-in-2010-the-best-progressing-economy.php> China Daily. (2010). China overtakes Germany as world top exporter. Retrieved 20 May 2011. < http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/2010-02/10/content_9453359.htm> Miller, L. (2006). “China an Emerging Superpower?” Standord Journal of International Relations. Retrieved 20 May 2011. < http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjir/6.1.03_miller.html> Shah, A. (2011). World Military Spending. Retrieved 20 May 2011. < http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending> Xuetong, Y. (2006). ‘The Rise of China and its Power Status.” Chinese Journal of International Politics. 1 (1): 5-33. Retrieved 20 May 2011. < http://cjip.oxfordjournals.org/content/1/1/5.full.pdf+html> Read More