2011 Essays

Misoverestimating China

Mitchell, Lincoln A.

China is clearly an economic power which can become the world's major power if the U.S. continues to make mistakes and if China avoids some major economic, political and environmental crises that are on its own horizon. However, China's rise to global supremacy is hardly an inevitability and should not be seen as one. For the U.S., therefore, it is important both not to underestimate China's potential, but also not to overestimate it either. Recent media coverage of China seems to have clearly veered towards the latter mistake.