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China is a superpower, but eclipse the United States, not in our lifetimes. 1. They don't have a truly free market economy - still essentially socialist. 2. They have no political liberties. Essentially they have a system ripe for corruption. Just like the soviets. As for military superpower. They have no blue water navy to speak of. They got lots of troops, but to get to most points of interest, they need to move them and materials on ships. Our Navy could take their 100million man army to the bottom of the ocean in a day if they decide to come out and play with us. Their air power is not as good as the Russians, and we see where those battles come. They do have nuclear weapons and ICBMs, but not nearly as many as we do and not as precise. We could smoke'm good. Their technology is derived either from the Russians or us (thanks Bill Clinton). Even their man in space rode on a space capsule that was a Soyuz ripoff. They didn't figure it all out for themselves....China has problems of their own. The church in China is growing powerful. If we are ever eclipsed by the Chinese, it wont be the Communist government in control. It will be Christians with God's blessings.

"1. They don't have a truly free market economy - still essentially socialist. 2. They have no political liberties"

There is no truly free market economy, just degrees of freedom. the real test is "does the system produce wealth, and china is clearly generating wealth. The second point, no political liberties, seems to be a comforting mantra on both the left and the right. A measure of personal freedom is important as societes start to get rich, but they need not be fully developed democracies such as we have in the modern west (anyway, such "liberties" are often derided as liscense anyway).Eighteenth century Britain and 19th century America or Germany were hardly democratic by any standards we would use today...but their economic growth was explosive. Sorry, what seems to really matter is an authoritarian system which respects propery rights, a LIMITED francise, a legal system that protects propery and allows property rights to evolve. It also helps to have some kind of savings/work ethic for the masses, and limited liability corporations for the elites. More or less China seems to be getting there.