One hardly needs to be a historian to understand that the words, China
and Superpower, have absolutely nothing in common and never had.
From 1500 BC till 1912, China was controlled by Dynasties and ruled
by Emperors/Empresses. Next came Sun yat-Sen, Chiang kai-Chek,
Mao tse-Tung, Jao en-Lai and the current doofus; Dictators, each and all.
Average Chinese have never felt/understood freedom; a pre-condition
for a creative and dynamic culture/society.
Greece and Rome fully internalized this reality and bequeathed it to the
world, creating Western Civilization.
A prediction about China's emergence as a Superpower.
Next time China gets out of line in Asia watch Japan kick their ass just
as they did down through the centuries.
So much for Establishment experts.