Assess the extent to which China is a threat to the USA's status as the only current superpower.

Split answer into 4 main paragraphs - explain how categories for superpower are largely considered to be economic power, military, geographic and cultural and the answer will attempt to weigh up the extent to which China rivals the USA in these dpeartments and whether overall this is enough to be considered a threat to the USA's Paragraph 1: China is a threat to the USA’s status as the only current superpower because there is a chance that it will become the leading economic powerhouse in the world. The country’s economy has the fastest GDP growth rate in the world, currently hovering at around 9%. Economic reforms in 1978 which shifted China away from an isolationist ideology encouraged FDI and therefore triggered the rise of SEZs and EPZs which encouraged further investment from TNCs. In total, about 100 economic zones have been created. This coupled with having a labour force of around 800 million people means that a large proportion of goods and services are exported from the country which threatens production in the USA. An example of a shift in manufacturing power is shown through the decline of Detroit in the USA, formerly a car manufacturing city which had many large companies life Ford close down partly to do with not being able to compete with China’s growing car industry and the loss of jobs through outsourcing work to China. However, China’s rise may be short lived and therefore not threaten the USA in the long run. As unions in China grow and people demand a higher standard of living, wages will need to rise which could deter foreign manufacturers, who might move to Africa where wages can be cheaper. Similar paragraphs on military rivalry, cultural and geographic (natural resources and sphere of influence) Conclusion: In conclusion, China has the ability to threaten the USA on economic and geographical grounds. However, to fully cement its place as a leading world superpower, it needs to assert itself culturally much like America and increase its military spending, as its current spending falls well short of the USA’s. China’s success in its bid for superpower status might further come down to its ability to secure natural resources, as many countries look to secure non renewables for the future where there is a rapidly depleting stock.