I would have to say . . . . Second, China is developing the labor force and technical base necessary to compete internationally and support military modernization. Third, China is pursuing a vigorous military modernization program that will enhance its force- projection capability. Fourth, although China's future political leadership remains unsettled, it seems quite capable of governing for now. Finally, China's leadership seeks to deter challenges to Chinese interests by combining all the elements I just noted and gaining for China recognition as a great power.
Scholars can and do debate what constitutes power status.
By this measure China has been a potential power for some time. Now, however, we are starting to see that potential realized. First, China has been the fastest growing major economy in the world over the last decade. In the past few years, China has taken steps to overcome the boom-bust cycle that has plagued it since the reforms were launched by Deng Xiaoping in 1979. Chinese officials project that in 1996 China's GDP will grow by about 10 percent and retail price inflation will be about 7 percent.