Since World War II , only three world powers have been referred to as " major power " – the Soviet Union , the British Empire and the United States . The first two have since lost that distinction , forget America as the earth ’s only dead on target superpower , grant to most story expert . There are no hard and fast rules as to what get to a country a world power , but there are some define characteristic that most learned person agree are necessary to bring in the title . Being a global leader in economics , culture and education , along with a strong military comportment are all hallmarks of a power . Japan was think to have been the next world power in the 1980s , but that prediction never came to fruition .

China is now broadly speaking catch as the next candidate for the superpower preeminence , with some actually asserting that China has aims to take over the world . voice communication like that can make China ’s purpose seem forbidding , and even though some politicians and economists may believe the rural area is plotting for world domination , what ’s more likely afoot is that China is in a two - way of life fight with the United States for the most foreign interests . These interests serve a determination , but what they all add up to is control of extraneous resources and trade good , as well as in a militaristic sense . The honest-to-goodness adage " whoever dies with the most toys wins " is a antic , but the musical theme could employ to the battle being waggle between the United States and China . In this causa it ’s not toy , but military substructure , trade partner and rightfulness to natural resources in strange countries . In other words , which country gains or retain the title of superpower .

China has a problem – itspopulationdoes not jibe its resources and everlasting domestic Cartesian product . China ’s more than 1.3 billion people do n’t have the resources to adequately handle for themselves [ source : University Nebraska at Omaha ] . This has led China to begin exporting its people , in a sense , by mark up shop in other function of the world . Look no further than Africa , where China has rapidly acquire its front during the last decade , in countries like Nigeria and Angola , among others . During that sentence , more than 750,000 Chinese have move to Africa [ seed : Malone ] . Some experts contend that the plan is to increase this number to the century of million , help to put a dent into China ’s rude resourcefulness job by tapping into Africa ’s resources , while thinning the herd in the home country [ source : Malone ] . strain and sea routes are increasing between China and African Carry Nation as monumental deals are made for commodities , trade , labor and military cooperation . Chinese private schools , embassies and ethnic centers are start up in places like Rwanda , Nairobi and Angola . Angola even has its own " Chinatown " district .

In return , country in Africa get a uncoerced craft partner and assistance and weaponry for its military cabal . Africa also receives the supposed benefit of chore and substructure building . While trade has increased from 5 million Yuan dynasty to 6 billion in the last 10 years , many contend that Africa is getting the brusque end of the stick , import tawdry Chinese toy and goods , while export worthful commodity like oil and timbre . It ’s estimated that 70 percentage of African timber terminate up in Chinese ports , a figure that hints at massive disforestation [ reservoir : Malone ] . There are also assertions that Formosan mining operations in Africa are staffed with African laborers earning less than one Yuan per 24-hour interval , which is about 14 cents [ source : Malone ] . The weapon system sent to Africa often provide arms that aid to fuel the continent ’s many civil wars . And in some parts of Africa , Chinese - only communities have gates , and black are not allowed to enter .

Similarly , China has reached out to Latin America as well , bypass the United States as Brazil ’s No . 1 trading partner , and coming in second to the United States in Argentina , Costa Rica , Chile , Peru and Venezuela . With this kind of reach , and a population at well over a billion the great unwashed , it ’s no wonder that a big percentage of the ball-shaped fiscal news focuses on China . But is China poised to become a reliable world power ?

The Battle for Foreign Interests

Experts head out that while China has gained serious ground in places like Africa and Latin America , it still ca n’t touch the United States in terms of foreign involvement [ source : Gatsiounis ] . China has officially overtake Japan as the world ’s second gravid economy , but its economy is still only half the sizing of the United States ' .

The fact that many Taiwanese good are downhearted - end is another reason why many people imagine China is destined to stay on a " dandy power " and not go up to the ranks of superpower . America ’s educational and cultural influences also outpace China ’s . The United States ' entertainment industries are emulate , its sports are most popular globally , and its educational system is the most emulated around the world [ source : Gatsiounis ] .

Despite its elbow grease to implement the Chinese way of animation in Africa and Latin America , there are still cultural barriers . Even in Africa , where China has made the most strides , the United States leads the trade war by 5 percent , even though Africa makes up just 2 pct of the United States ' global barter . China is also a remote third shoes in Africa in terms of oil exports , behind Europe and the United States [ root : Malone ] .

There ’s also evidence Africa may not be totally proud of with its human relationship with China . Formosan companies in Africa are rated as have some of the worst working conditions in the world , and the infrastructure building that has n’t been straight involved in the transport of commodity has been called into question [ source : Gatsiounis ] . Luanda ’s General Hospital , built by the Chinese in 2006 , was evacuated just four year subsequently amid fears of morphologic instability and flop . Chinese war machine has supplied its share of arms to Africa and Latin America , but its actual military presence is still limited or close to non - existing [ reservoir : Terradaily ] .

All of these deficiencies may prevent China from becoming a power , but that does n’t think the United States is n’t take up the possibility in earnest . The United States has sought to bolster up ties to countries that have done business with China , and has even moved into China ’s backyard by seek to strengthen trade in southeasterly Asian countries like Vietnam , Loas , Cambodia and even Indonesia . Most economist think that while the United States may have a watchful eye on China and its global scheme , that it ’s in the good interest of the United States for China to remain a potent , viable thriftiness . Aside from the orbicular economic impact that China has on the eternal rest of the world , it currently lead the world with $ 840 billion Charles Frederick Worth of investments in American Treasury securities [ source : U.S. Department of the Treasury ] .

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