In the midst of the global financial crisis, China is still experiencing spectacular GDP growth while the rest of the world stagnates and plunges into recession. During these dark times, China seems to be a beacon of light, leading the world to recovery and securing a place for itself as the world’s leading superpower. However, China still has many issues to attend to, including unemployment, ethnic unrest, and a Mexican standoff with the United States over treasury bonds and exports – if the US dollar falls apart China stands to lose trillions of dollars. As always when faced with a tough question, we asked you:

Is anything preventing China from surpassing the US to become the world's top superpower?

Photo: pheezy

Perspectives seeks to promote dialogue and cross-cultural understanding by featuring Chinese and foreign responses to a single question. Email us to be added to our weekly question mailing list or to suggest questions of your own and feel free to add your perspective in the comments section below.

I’m not sure, I’d say it’s mostly a matter of time. Every dog has its day, one particular country can’t remain the strongest forever.

X / China

China's growth is not based on creativity. They are not producing their own technologies yet. And the education system in China is making robots for sitting tests and obeying orders, not researchers and explorers. China will never surpass the US, unless these fundamental things in the society will be changed.

A / Russia

Yes, the political system.

T / China

The Chinese culture. Even as they surpass the US and Europe in everything, they'll stifle themselves with their own cultural norms and values. They've been around for 3000 years and haven't gotten their act together yet. I’d like to think that will change, but after all that time, what's so different now?

R / US

I would have to say population: China’s population makes it extremely difficult to enact any sort of reforms or social problems. The population consumes so much resources and, ironically, the richer the country gets the more problems there are. More cars means more oil, more people means more food, a growing elderly population means more money needed for pensions and retirement funds.

K / US

I don’t think anything can stop China. Not only is China getting stronger but other countries are getting weaker. China’s economy is strong. All other countries are in the economic crisis but China keeps growing. Even if the US was strong right now and had no wars or depressions China is still growing too quickly.

Z / China

How useless some of the young people are. No job experience, no life experience. If you can’t do your laundry or dishes, how can you lead a country?

S / UK

The situation in China is not as rosy as the fawning western media portrays it to be. There is massive unrest in many areas. There are more poor people in China than anywhere else in the world and education remains low across the country. China depends on exports and the minute the West shuts off that tap China’s economy will implode and massive unrest will arise.

R / UK

The schools and traditional culture. Too many people can only do what they’re told and cannot think for themselves. China gets too much from other countries.

L / China

Democracy would actually be a real danger to China. Look what it has done to America (8 years of Bush) and Britain (Gordon Brown). If China were to allow its many uneducated, illiterate citizens to have a say it would be a disaster.

D / Australia
 

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