Superpowers:

China...
China is most definitely more advanced as a superpower than Ghana, but
not necessarily better than the USA. It has not always kept a constant
pattern of development yet it has still managed to maintain a reasonable
position on the superpower scale.

China’s economy is vast, mostly based on the sales of their manufactured

products; many of our things were made in “the world’s factory”. Their GDP
stands reasonably high at 33,535 billion Chinese Yuan, or just under US$ 5
trillion. Which compares to the USA’s at nearly 1/3 of their GDP, but has
nearly 350 times more gross domestic product than Ghana. They export
everywhere, mainly with the USA; such activity has gained them the
position as the world’s top exporter of goods. It is very true that China does
spend large quantities of money on importing as well, but they earn much
more than they spend on oil, steel, metals and wheat. China is slowly
making its way up to becoming the world’s top buyer of resources, causing
prices to rise worldwide due to their universal need. The development of
China’s economy has been more rapid in the coastal provinces such as:
Tianjin, Hainan, Shanghai, Macau, Hong Kong, etc. The per capita income
varies greatly between regions, but the wealthiest of these are along the
southeast coast; Beijing, Tianjin and Liaoning. Their rapid development is
what is expected to have the most significant effect on Asian economy.

Politically, China has great influence, especially with the UK, USA, France
and Russia due to its place on the United Nations Security. The Chinese
government wants to keep peace with the world and helps other countries
in the process. Roads and railways are built for poorer countries in return for
access to some of their oil fields or mines, in other countries, China has
bought or leased out land which they use to grow crops on for their trade
and ever-growing population. Factories have even been set up in countries
with lower wages for sales to be made there. Most Chinese are communist
with more than 73 million members, their influence is continuously
increasing all around the world. The communist party believes that
everyone is equal and that no-one should rise above all the rest, and their
views are beginning to spread, this shows how influential Chinese politics
are and why it makes them a superpower.
The People’s Liberation Army is the military arm of the Communist Part of
China. It unites military organisations of land, sea, strategic missile and air
forces. Its 3 million members form the largest military force in the world. In
complete opposition to Ghana, China holds the world’s largest standing
army of 2.5 million members. Theoretically, military service is compulsory
for all men reaching the age of 18 and women may register in medical aid or
similar fields at the age of 14, however, due to the country’s outstanding
population, a draft has never been enforced. In the world, China stands at
5.8% percent for global expenditure of military expenditure, coming in
second after the USA, and much farther ahead than Ghana which rests in
the category of the rest of the world’s 18.6%. Last year, in 2009, China
spent as much as US$ 70.3 billion, they spend approximately 4.3% of their
GDP on military expenses.

The demographics of the People’s Republic of China are known for their
large population and small youth cohort. About a fifth of the world’s
population lives in China; that’s 1.3 billion people. Most of the inhabitants
reside in the northern, eastern and southern parts of the country due to the
high altitudes and low temperatures of the west. About 95% of the
country’s population lives in just half of the country. 66% of Chinese people
still live in the countryside or rural areas. Shanghai is China’s largest city,
and it has a population of 7 million, making it one of the most densely
populated areas in the world. China has 56 ethnic groups of which 92%
belong to the Han group. Most of these groups reside in autonomous
regions, such as Tibet, in order to be able to follow their traditional ways of
life. The rapid growth in population numbers led to the introduction of the
on-child policy in 1979, only allowing poor farmers to have more children to
help them, or ethnic minorities whose numbers are low. Any other families
with more children are to be fined. China has a population 4 times larger
than the USA’s and over 61 times bigger than Ghana’s.

Like in Ghana, culture is very important to the natives and tourists.Culture in

China is one the world’s oldest and most complex forms. The traditions vary
greatly between towns, cities and provinces. As previously mentioned, 56
ethnic groups exist, each have their own traditions and ways, the Han being
the oldest. Although many of these cultures have disappeared, so many of
them have been maintained and even recognised or assimilated outside
Asia. Different regions in China are divided into sub-cultures, each with
three ancestral items representing them. There are various religions present
in China, including Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and many indigenous
religions, with Buddhism being the most common. Some of the most
common examples of world renowned Chinese culture are those of the
Chinese New Year and the Twelve Zodiac animals. The New Year in China is
celebrated on a different day every year depending on the lunar cycle and
each year is represented by a different animal, and every twelve years the
cycle restarts. Martial arts have also been very popular in the world and in
years to come, the beautiful Chinese culture will continue to be distributed
around the world for everyone to enjoy.
If we take a close look at all of these actors and compare them to Ghana’s ,
it is obvious why China stands higher up in the superpower scale. We see
that China is changing, developing more and more each year. Things have
changed, but for centuries, China held the role of the world’s most
developed and wealthy country. It had more advanced technology, better
civil service, the best, most qualified officials, but from 1750 onwards, after
the industrial revolution, China fell behind. Nowadays, with a strong
economy, a positive political influence, a good military force, and a vast
cultural influence, China will, without a doubt, catch up with the rest of the
world.