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Eric Love

Yin and Yang

The period of history where the United States is the Worlds sole superpower is
inevitably drawing to close, but dont fret, we have always valued competition. Throughout
history civilizations have reigned superior in their small corner of the globe, but that changed in
the modern-era. As a result of the ever-shrinking universe, nations now have the ability to
establish diplomacy in real time, across continents and oceans. This process of globalization has
led to the extinction of the regional power, and the birth of a new phenomenon, the World
Power. The World Power is a nation that rises to prominence on the world stage due to its
strengths. It is influential on the issues of international policy and has a consequential impact on
world events. A world power must maintain both a robust economy and a well-maintained
military, but these criteria fall second to the most important feature of a nation that is dubbed a
superpower sustainability. A nation that is both economically and militarily strong can
influence international events for a moment, but a true world power must sustain its economy,
army, and influence for decades.
Following the Cold War, and the implosion of the unsustainable Soviet Union, the United
States found itself in a historically unique situation. It was the Worlds only superpower. With
this title the U.S. has acquired a lot of international authority and responsibility. The world is a
large place with a lot of complex problems in very distinct countries that cannot be solved from
an external entity. The pressure placed upon the U.S. to act during every international crisis has
strained its resources to the point where some are beginning to question whether it might be
spreading itself too thin. However, Americas status as a World Power is unquestioned given the
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China
United States
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fact that there is no other nation with equal influence, economic or military power, at least not
yet.
While the U.S. still meets the criteria of a World Power, it may have to learn how to
share the title with other nations. There are a number of nations that are considered to be
emerging World Powers such as India and Brazil, but the country that has caught the eye of the
international community as the newest superpower is China. China has been governed by the
Peoples Republic, a quasi-communist regime, since in 1949. Following the revolution during
which the communist party rose to power, the nation underwent a period of industrialization.
This helped transform China from what was little more than a 3
rd
world country into an industrial
powerhouse. With a rapidly expanding economy China had to shed its xenophobia and learn to
cooperate with other countries in order to attain the markets necessary to maintain its economic
growth. China overcame its fear of foreigners, established diplomatic ties with the right
countries, and continued to grow. But is China a World Power now? If not will it be one day?
To answer these questions I will be comparing China, a potentially new world power in relation
to the United States, a nation that is long recognized as a superpower in the World.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an organization designed to
promote trade and
monetary cooperation,
China is currently seated
as the home of the
worlds second largest
economy, second only to
the United States. As of
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2013, The United States has an estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 15.6 trillion U.S.
dollars after being adjusted according to the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) methodology which
is used to determine the relation between currencies. Chinas estimate was at 8.2 trillion U.S.
dollars. These numbers are favorable to the America citizen who fears a Chinese take-over, but
the 2018 estimates issued by the IMF might raise some alarms. In 2018, China is estimated to
have a GDP of 22.6 trillion; the U.S. on the other hand will only have grown to 18.5 trillion.
Chinas remarkable projected growth gives credence to the belief that China is the worlds
newest power. But these numbers certainly do not suggest that America is being replaced as an
economic power, only that the far-east nation is joining them in the club of the economic elites.
Aside from GDP there are other factors that should be taken into account when
examining a nations finances. The IMF also gathers data on per capita income from both the
U.S. and China. As of 2013, the average American income was $51,248, while the average
Chinese income lagged behind at a $6,076. While this is primarily an indicator into the average
persons finances in each nation it also might be a potential threat to sustainability for the
Chinese. As a high school student in the U.S., I made about $10,000 a year working as a file
clerk in law firm and I certainly could not feed a family on those wages. There is a stark contrast
between the income of the respective citizens, and thus their quality of life. This is not
necessarily an economic weakness for the government of China, but the happiness of the
citizenry is vital to sustainability of a nation and such low wages might cause discontent within
the country.
One of the ways the American government has learned to keep their citizens happy is by
providing for the common defense. According to the Center for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS), Americas defense budget (arguably offense) is $711 billion. China again comes
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100
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500
600
700
800
Military Budget in Billions
(USD)
United States
China
in 2
nd
place spending $122.8 billion. Our
budget gets us 10 aircraft carriers to Chinas
1, and 9,600 nuclear weapons to Chinas
240 (CSIS). The spending gap is a bit
excessive considering that we have the
largest military and China has the 2
nd
largest
military, but I digress. Where China does
have us beat is their sheer population. While
this isnt hugely significant given the nature of modern warfare, China has double the number of
soldiers with 4,585,000 to our 2,291,910 U.S. soldiers. Both nations clearly meet the threshold of
Military strength but there is no reason to believe that Chinas martial power will eclipse
Americas anytime soon. Even if China did plan to spend their new economic gains on military
weaponry it would be long before China could close such a massive weapons gap.
Not only does America have more guns than China we also have more friends. America
asserts its influence around the world on a regular basis. We have close relations with England,
Germany and France, which are influential nations in their own right. The United Nations is an
American-made institution which operates out of New York City. Americas influence is felt all
across the globe. Chinas presence on the international stage is meager in comparison, although
they do appear to have increased their activity more recently. An example of their recent gains is
their newfound permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The Chinese have used this voting
position to block a number of U.S. initiatives that were against their interests, such as using
sanctions against Iran, an ally of China (Press TV). While actions like this have shown Chinas
interest in being a world player they do not equate to the international political clout that
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America enjoys. In Chinas defense, there are very few nations that have influence on the World
Stage and the majority of them are Western nations. Aside from Russia, China is the only
Eastern nation that has substantial influence on the policies of the U.N.
China at least qualifies in each of these criteria for the status of World Power, but it still
falls short in the criterion of sustainability. The Peoples Republic does not match The American
Government in its ability to maintain domestic tranquility. The people of America enjoy a
government with little corruption, and guaranteed individual rights. Certainly we have petty
political squabbles but generally we are wealthier and healthier than the people of China and so
we are more content.
There is a powder keg lying beneath the bustle of Chinas streets. There is mass of people
who are becoming more educated, and more resentful. They cannot hope for civil rights when
they are denied human rights; the right to a family and a wage that allows for viability comes
before the freedom to read, write, and say what you want. I dont believe a nation that oppresses
its people can endure long enough to be called a World Power. I look at The 3
rd
Reich and The
Soviet Union and see unsustainable nations with great power but little care for its citizens, and
they of course did not last long. I recall the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the protest
against the government that still occupies the Great Hall of the People, and I cant help but think
that resentment still lies within the people of China. So long as the government of China has that
tension between its leaders and its governed people, Chinas status as a World Power will be
questionable. A world power is stable and reliable and with Chinas risk of insurrection, it is too
unpredictable to be given the authority and responsibility being a world power entails.
Maybe it is because our generation has lived through the oddity of being the only world
power that we are so insecure about this status. We fear that we will lose our influence on the
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world stage, but more so we are afraid some other nation is going to acquire that lost influence.
But being a World power is not a zero-sum game. Throughout history there have been competing
powers sometimes several like in WWII with Germany, Russia, the U.S., England, and others.
Sometimes there are only two, the cold war between the U.S. and The Soviet Union for example.
What is important to understand is that competing interest stimulate innovation and change. The
innovation sparked at the end of the 60s during the space race is evidence of this innovation
spawning out of international competition. Vying for markets, money, love, and power is a
principle deeply rooted in the ideology of all Americans. We believe it is healthy because it has
been drilled into us since birth. Also America cannot handle the problems of the world alone,
but even if we could it is not in the best interest of the international community to have one
nation unilaterally acting without some type of counteracting force to check its power. It is a
balance that must be struck, and it is not something Americans should accept begrudgingly.
Because while it will seem like we are losing power and influence in the immediate future, in the
long-term humanity will benefit most from rivalry and cooperative action.









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"People's Republic of China and the IMF." People's Republic of China and the IMF. N.p., n.d.
Web. 20 July 2013. <http://www.imf.org/external/country/CHN/index.htm>.
"PressTV - Russia, China Block Move by UN Security Council against Iran." PressTV - Russia,
China Block Move by UN Security Council against Iran. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2013.
<http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/16/314004/russia-china-block-unsc-move-on-
iran/>.
"Publications." Center for Strategic and International Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2013.
<http://csis.org/publications>.
"United States and the IMF." United States and the IMF. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2013.
<http://www.imf.org/external/country/USA/index.htm>.