China is emerging as a superpower likely to challenge American global hegemony - Term Paper Example

China as a Super Power Introduction A super power is a or a country which is in a dominant position in the international ranking system. This means that such a state has the ability to protect its interests and as well as profoundly influence global events. This is a country that can project power on a worldwide scale. A super power is stronger that a great power. On what are the arguments that China is fast emerging as a strategic threat to the United States based? China has shown some signs that can be compared to the definition of a super power. On March 4, 2007, China announced that it was going to increase its military to a total of 45 billion dollars (Tkacik, 2007). This was the biggest annual increase in China’s military budget; however, China was quick to reassure the world that there was no need to worry by calling the increment normal. A further look into this increment indicated that China has an intention to challenge the United States’ military supremacy. This could lead to a situation where China is the United States’ single competitor with regard to influence and military supremacy. China’s air force and space activity is on the rise. The army in China has got roughly 300 Russian fourth generation flankers; it has also got several homemade Jian-11 planes and 76 Sukhoi multi-role fighter jets. Russia and Israel assisted the Chinese air force in procuring 50 Jian-10 fighter jets. These jets were based on the United States F-16 technology. China has intentions to build more of these planes. China has increased its production and deployment of the short-range ballistic missiles which are said to be aimed at Taiwan. This production has grown from 50 per year in 1990s to 150 missiles annually today. The industries that produce such missiles in China are said to grow at the same pace. In general, China’s rocket soldiers and its air force are expanding at an unprecedented pace. According to China’s 2006 White Paper, there is evidence that China is moving to offensive. This military might of China is growing from regional to trans-regional mobility. The air to ground military capacity has also grown, including long distance maneuvers and exceptional operations. The Chinese navy has grown in strength into a force that can operate in the maritime operations and can ably handle nuclear counterattacks. The Chinese air force has continued to increase its capabilities to strike, tried to procure air and missile defense shield systems and is looking into more offensive and defensive operations. All these are an early warning shot of the Chinese reconnaissance. According to a report by Congress, China’s policy is now global and extremely bold. China has always been underrated and many times the United States said that China has not acquired the status of a super power. Thomas Jefferson, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, observed that the United States had to trade all over the world if it had to become a global power economically. Beijing’s assessment is that it has grown to the extent that its economic growth depends on foreign markets. This also includes the natural resources from other countries around the world. China‘s economy has been growing rapidly, and China is seeking military might that can protect this growth. This is similar to Jefferson’s observation that the United Stated had to build its military strength if it was to safeguard its military strength globally. It seems that the rise of the People’s Republic of China is both legitimate and inevitable (McLean, 2007). However, according to Condoleezza Rice, the former Secretary of State of the United States, the US needs to help China operate within the international rules framework before it has fully acquires the status of a military super power. Many view the rise of China as an exceedingly dangerous happening. Why does Bleicher think the fears are overblown? According to Samuel Bleicher, the idea that China is an emerging super power is a creation of the media. He believes s that the reality is quite contrary (Bleicher, 2008). The recent happenings in Tibet indicate the limitations of the government of China. People of China are said to be unhappy with the current regime because of a few reasons. Some of those reasons include wide income disparities among the people of China and the unavoidable collapse of the price controls. This is because these price controls are not sustainable according to Bleicher. These price controls touch on food and fuel. This is in the view that the Chinese regime does not encourage opposition; therefore, people do not have outlets in case of discontent. China has been working hard to pull its people from starvation. This has been happening for the last few decades owing to the western technology. The reality is that the central government of China, together with its political economic and social institutions, is weak. This simply means that China is not governed exceedingly well. The export-dependent Chinese economy may not be well suited to sustain its domestic market and its needs. The reality is that rapid growth has encountered both natural and environmental obstacles and challenges, and China will not avoid them. According to Bleicher, these issues are not being addressed comprehensively. The People’s Republic of China has many national laws. These include child labor, minimum and wages and hours, workers safety, intellectual property and pollution. However, the central government in China has not empowered prosecutors and judges to enforce these laws. This is due to the fact that it is controlled by local party leaders. These leaders are rarely inclined towards enforcing these laws. This is because in most cases, they are biased and have personal interests in profit making enterprises. The sudden increase in wealth has not helped the situation either. It has increased the practice of corruption in the backdrop of weak institutions. China is expanding its military spending –­­­ no doubt about that. This is certainly not a threat in the world, at least in any rational context. According to Pentagon, 2006 Chinese military spending was an amount less than 90 billion dollars. This figure cannot be compared to the 440 billion dollar US military spending in 2007. Besides, this was additional 50 billion US dollar spending in Iraq and Afghanistan. In view of this, the Chinese regime can be seen as more interested in buying army’s support and loyalty than genuinely interested in long-term military intentions. The military comparison between China and United States shows a wide disparity. China seems to be more obsessed about opposing Taiwan’s independence. Definitely, China would want to have the same military strength with Japan, United States and Taiwan, but that is not as close as the media want us to believe. China is largely an assembler and opposed to a manufacturer. Most of its components come from other countries. We are talking about energy supplies, raw materials, and management skills. All these result in economic challenges. Many consider China to have cheap labor when it comes to assembling. China would like the West to think otherwise, but the reality is that it cannot risk substantive economic and military resources when it comes to international political showdown. The Real Threat A systemic challenge to the regime of People’s Republic of China could directly threaten the regime. The real threat includes a significant slowdown of the global economy that has the potential of bringing desperation to millions of people in the world. The collapse of factories would mean that the worker would have to be retrenched. Think about the people who live for less than a dollar a day. Rationing of water, energy and/or food leading to a radical increase in food prices would cause destructive results. When individuals lose millions on the stock exchange, then desperation becomes inevitable. Increase in fuel prices and gas touches on many people’s lives, especially the lives of those who reside in urban areas. The widening of the income gap between those who work in urban places compared to those who work in rural places is a potential cause of unrest. For instance, if the daily farmers decided to cut off the milk supply to the urban elite, then a chaotic occurrence would follow. These issues are real and of a greater concern compared to the hypothetical military propaganda. If people suddenly became fed up and uprisings against China began, then the Chinese regime would be considerably weakened (Bleicher, 2008). With whom would Realist agree and why? The reality is that the People’s Republic of China is on the rise. Whether this growth is sustainable or not is another issue altogether. Those who are for or against the ascension of China to the status of superpower tend to agree on this fundamental issue. There is a basic surge in the growth of China. That cannot be wished away especially at a time when technology has tremendously grown to the level it has. Sharing of ideas and information has never been this easy. It also happens at a time when the United States’ economy has been threatened by recession. The most basic step of becoming a super power must start with economic growth, and China is doing well at the moment notwithstanding its poor record in human rights protection. China is likely to be on the path of becoming a super power. A realist would not be at pains to concede to this assertion. References Bleicher, S. A. (2008, May 8). China: Superpower or Basket Case? Foreign Policy in Focus. Retrieved August 10, 2012, from http://http://www.fpif.org/reports/china_superpower_or_basket_case. McLean, R. T. (2007, June 1). The Pentagon Gets China Right by. Frontpage Magazine. Retrieved August 10, 2012, from http://http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=4100. Tkacik, J. J. (2007). A Chinese Military Superpower? The Heritage Foundation, 1(1). Retrieved from http://www.gees.org/documentos/Documen-02197.pdf. Read More