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Napoleon Bonaparte once said,
“China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move the
world.” The giant has now awoken, with China in position to become the global
economic hegemon within the next fifteen years. The goal of United States
should be the pursuit of a more cooperative relationship, as these two
superpowers will lead the world throughout the 21st century.
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| Robert Gassman - Class of 2018 |
The United States is
experiencing economic growth at a rate that hovers around 3%, and over the past
five years U.S. growth had been in the ballpark of 2%. This stable and limited
economic growth is common for industrialized nations. Last year the economy of
Great Britain grew 1.9%, Australia 2.7%, and France a mere 1.3% of expansion.
For China in 2016, 6.8% was one of the lowest figures of annual economic growth
since the reforms implemented by Deng Xiaoping in 1978. There is no indication that
China’s rapid expansion will decline to the levels of Western democracies
anytime soon. China’s GDP currently sits at $11.25 trillion, not accounting for
Purchasing Power Parity, and 5-6% economic growth is expected to continue for
at least the next decade. This year the nation became the second largest
producer and consumer of goods and services, beating 2010 estimated by four
years. China is already the top trading nation, and by 2028 will surpass the
United States in total GDP. The inevitable economic dominance of the “Middle
Kingdom” is often portrayed as an undermining of United States’ leadership, but
instead it should be viewed as an opportunity.
China’s rise has been peaceful,
differing greatly from their European counterparts. In the last 39 years, the
nation has lifted 853 million people out of abject poverty, classified as those
who earn less than $1.25 per day. The burgeoning prosperity of China
equivocates to prosperity for the world. With nearly a fifth of the global
population, China’s rise is crucial to the security and the success of the
world. As Americans, we should embrace the ascendance of our Eastern
counterparts, and ensure that cooperation and understanding define the
relationship between the two nations. Turning inwards, and ignoring the new
status of China will merely leave the United States in the shadow of the awoken
giant.
Robert Gassman, of Louisville, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar studying political science, history, and Asian studies.