China: The Greatest Threat to US Hegemony
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A discussion of the threat China poses to America’s superpower status.
In the next twenty-five years, the United States will see China become its biggest threat to hegemony. The US currently dominates the world’s political, military, and cultural scene. This dominance is known as hegemony. The economic relationship between the US and China, the global energy crisis, and the increase in Chinese soft power will lead to the decline of US hegemony.
China has become one of the globe’s largest economic powers. Economic growth has depended on Chinese exports to the US. Without American consumers, the Chinese economy would not be as powerful, and the economic relationship between the two countries would not be interdependent. Eventually, the Chinese middle-class will grow large enough to end their reliance on exports to the US. When this happens, Chinese ownership of American debt could be used as political leverage. Now, China needs American markets and the US needs Chinese capital. The US will lose power as soon as the economic balance inevitably tips in China’s favor.
The global energy crisis creates competition between the US and China. Competition for fossil fuels will decrease American influence in the world. China will soon pass the US for the lead consumer of fossil fuels. As China needs and gains more energy resources, their technological and military prowess will approach that of the US. Chinese influence will expand as fuel imports increase. Any expansion of Chinese influence negatively affects the US. As the competition between the US and China grows, US hegemony is decreased.
An increase in exports, global political participation, and culture projection will help China gain influence in the international community. Trade agreements between China and other countries increase China’s legitimacy and reputation in the capitalist world. China continues to increase its participation in international organizations and multi-lateral agreements. As Chinese culture is projected to the rest of the world, influence abroad is gained. Influence across the globe will give China soft power. Soft power is non-military influence exerted on foreign nations. As China gains soft power, American influence and power is decreased.
Any power the Chinese gain is power lost by the US. The US will undoubtedly remain powerful in the international community for many more years. However, Chinese economic growth, acquisition of energy resources, and soft power projection will give China more influence and take away from US global dominance. Unless the situation changes or the US takes action to hinder Chinese expansion, Americans may soon see a world controlled by more than one great power.
1 Comment
I believe the best way to deal with the People’s Republic of China’s long term goal of a pacific zone of influence, is to strengthen our ties with the nations around it. (Excluding those countries all ready under PRC guidance.) This includes India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, etc… This has several advantages;
It will cut our dependence on the PRC for the majority of low-tech products that are used mostly by the Untied States, increase those countries’ influence in the area, naturally causing competition. Competition well derail China’s longterm goal of estabilishing an Asian Warsaw Pact.
Our strengthening of ties with these countries is a symbolic gesture that we don’t want one signle country to get hegemony of Asia. The PRC is extremely worried by its self-image, and would almost certainly attempt to regain it by showing the US how it is the better choice, this might include improving their quality, lowering prices, etc. But the US’ main goal should be to cause the PRC to democratic. It all depends on what “cards”
the United states wants to play. We could bring up humans’ right, Tawian, the recent Hacker attacks, China’s attempts to influence America’s Government, their stealing of military technology, (The breaches into Los Alamos National Labs & thefts of helicopter and jet engines designs) selling weapons to nations who support terrorism, and their elaborate spy rings in Washington DC. The lists continue past these I have all ready listed, but those all are all hardier to prove.
My point is that the current system of dealing with the People’s Republic of China is not working, and should be change. If not, another cold war well be started by a people & government with a mindset of an 1941 Imperial Japan.