Over the last 30 years, the world has watched a steady uprising of the People’s Republic of China. This progress can be seen in multiple elements, especially in the socioeconomic indicators and the ever-growing geopolitical role that the Asian country has been exercising. The development, achievements, and geopolitical magnitude of modern China come from an intense process of economic and political reforms between 1970 and 1980. The transformations in the political and economic spheres transformed the country from centralized communism to market socialism. The political and economic “modernizations” in the last century enabled China's integration into global markets through the “open-door policy”. This policy, through its operational model, enabled economic opening, foreign trade liberalization, technological advancement, large-scale industrial development and production, and the inflow of foreign investments into the Asian country.
          This transformation explains China’s current trajectory, as its leadership aims to consolidate and expand its global influence. Rather than becoming the ultimate superpower though, it’s likely that China’s influence will just continue to rise, and the PRC will become one of the essential international powers. Xi Jinping has been the president of the People’s Republic of China since 2013. He’s been called China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, the leader of the communist revolution that became successful in 1949. Xi’s priority, much like Zedong’s when he initially converted China into a communist power, is to elevate the position of China in the larger context of the world. The US, though it’s considered the world’s dominant power today, has not always been a world leader. When the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, the British Empire was thriving despite losing an essential colony and being in debt from that conflict. And before the British Empire's rise to power, the Spanish commanded the New World through Latin America, and before that various empires succeeded one another as the dominant power globally. Considering this historical trend, China is on track to overtake the US in global dominance (the US is not guaranteed to to hold power forever).

China is emerging not only in the economic realm but in the political one. It has been increasingly successful in its domestic affairs and its international involvement while continuing to benefit from its geographic position in Asia’s heartland. What China will do with its position is the more interesting question—how will the country use its changing rank to influence the world’s agenda and what will it push.

Economic Success

Since the beginning of his presidency, Jinping has pushed initiatives to heighten the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country, which has grown from $9.31 trillion in 2013 to over $17.8 trillion in 2021. The country’s economy has grown by margins of over 5% since the pandemic. In several speeches, President Jinping has delivered reflections on China’s changing position in the world. A lot of that comes from the changing place of the Chinese economy in the world order—a change that can undeniably be attributed to the greater success of China’s economic endeavors.

In his words, not only is China a huge contributor to the manufacturing world, but it is at the forefront of the construction of world peace (he’s emphasized what he believes to be China’s prominent role in the promotion of peace and diplomacy in the Middle East). Selflessly, for the greater good, he articulates that China’s success is tied permanently to the overall success of the global economy. On the whole, China (and not just its president!) sees itself as a growing economic power. Estimates place China’s share of global products produced at 30% in 2024 and only increasing since. It’s a global partner, with an economic sphere of influence far surpassing the United States. China is the dominant trading partner in nearly all of Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe—while American dominance is now restricted nearly entirely to the North American continent and select upper Latin-American countries.

International Involvement

So, China’s role in the economic world is indeed growing, and it’s undoubtable. In various settings, whether it be the UN, International Monetary Fund, or World Bank, China has increasingly had the ability to dictate the international agenda and assert itself as a player in global matters because it constitutes a great portion of the funding for each organization. China’s contribution to the UN, for example, is only second to the financial contribution of the United States, and the country holds a permanent position on the Security Council as one of five countries with absolute veto power. 

The Chinese priorities separate from the rest of the Security Council, many of which are within the realm of human rights, are increasingly pushed and discussed within UN sessions because of the power exerted by the PRC. Additionally, the discussion on these controversial priorities deepens divides which could potentially lead to another split in the world order (perhaps reminiscent of the split between the creation of the Warsaw Pact in response to the creation of NATO) or insurmountable difficulty in resolving major international challenges.
Additionally, China is part of the intergovernmental organization BRICS, which brings together eleven major emerging markets and developing countries of the world: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates. It serves as a useful platform for consultation and cooperation on contemporary issues having global as well as regional significance, and issues of global political and economic governance. In total, the group represents 49.5% of the world population, 40% of the world’s GDP, and 26% of the world’s trade. Dialogue between the countries takes place across three main pillars: cooperation in politics and security, financial and economic cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people cooperation. Around 150 meetings are held annually within these pillars. The bloc’s main objective, through cooperation, is to reshape the global governance system, including reforming mechanisms such as the United Nations Security Council, as well as introducing alternatives to institutions like the IMF(International Monetary Fund)  and the IDB(Inter-American Development Bank) to support emerging economies, as is the case with the NDB(New Development Bank), which is a multilateral bank established by BRICS nations for infraestructure projects. China supports humanitarian and cultural exchanges within the association, and encourages settlements and payments in national currencies. According to analysts, in the near future, the country will make a great effort to accelerate the development of a unified BRICS payment system. The USD’s role as the global reserve currency exposes BRICS nations to the consequences of U.S. monetary policy decisions. One of the key motivations behind the de-dollarization efforts in BRICS countries is to mitigate risks associated with currency volatility. By diversifying their currency reserves and promoting bilateral and multilateral trade settlements in their local currencies, BRICS nations can strengthen their economic ties and foster a more balanced global financial architecture.

Geographic Position of China

China’s large land area and dense population distribution near the Eastern coast of the country makes its borders oftentimes easier to invade than to defend. That’s why partnership with Western powers, as a measure to maximize military and financial resources for Chinese defense, has been consistently achieved. The Chinese share land borders with fifteen other countries and overlap with six others via sea, which make China susceptible to border disputes. So despite the apparent threat that the West poses to the Chinese government, a paradoxical partnership has formed between the two entities for mutual benefit, as the only way for China to increase its defense capabilities. Often called the Middle Kingdom, China’s place in Asia subjects it to a sort of forced relationship with other powers, unlike a peninsular country like North Korea that is able to maintain political and economic isolation as a byproduct of its geographic seclusion.

The geographic situation of China, and its general susceptibility to outside powers, is perhaps the main argument for an emergence of a multipolar world order (where multiple countries have decision-making power) in the future, rather than a total replacement of the US by China. The world has become a web, not just in terms of the connections the Internet and the UN have formed but in terms of the geographic and alliance based overlaps which dictate international involvement.
To strengthen itself, in a measure similar to the development of the Marshall Plan and other extensive financing for foreign aid, China has turned to other countries for geographic reinforcement. In this sense, the emergence of a singular power in the position the US holds today is growing more unlikely by the day. So rather than replacing the US, it’s likely China (and other countries) will grow to challenge the American nation—a challenge which could either stabilize international relations by removing bouts of absolute power or destabilize the world order upon removal of a clearly dictated agenda.

The BRI

As a measure to enhance its geographic connections with the rest of the world, the Chinese have developed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has been referred to as a modern Silk Road (a trade route which historically connected Asia and Europe facilitating the exchange of goods across diverse continents). The BRI is a program financing the development of trillions of dollars of infrastructure to boost connectivity across Asia, Europe, and Africa, and is the country’s main international cooperation and economic strategy. The program, introduced by Xi Jinping in 2013, is centered around the expansion of China’s economy/the markets available to the manufacturing superpower as well as the development of foreign relations to the country. In March 2022, 146 countries and 32 international organizations had signed cooperation agreements for the BRI. From 2013 to December 2021, China’s engagement in the BRI through construction contracts (often financed through Chinese financial institutions) and investments amounted to about USD 890 billion in countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Xi Jinping has emphasized the centrality of infrastructure projects to achieve this goal, as he stated in 2017: “Infrastructure connectivity is the foundation of development through cooperation… We should promote land, maritime, air, and cyberspace connectivity, concentrate our efforts on key passageways, cities, and projects, and connect networks of highways, railways, and seaports.”
China is also focusing on sustainably doing this development, as the Ministry of Ecology and Environment initiated the BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC). With its 10 working groups, the BRIGC aims to support green development with green finance, transport, innovation, urbanization, and standards.

Sustainability 
Today, China, the 3rd largest country in the world, is responsible for emitting 30% of the global emissions of greenhouse gases. On the other hand, the country, as observed in the BRIGC initiative, is spending significant time and money on building a green economy, with goals and plans to achieve energy sustainability and promote the country's growth amid urgent climate challenges. China is the world's biggest investor in clean energy, and, according to an analysis made by the Carbon Brief, China's carbon dioxide emissions stayed the same in the 3rd trimester of 2025 in comparison to the same time of the year of 2024.
This scenario is consequence of a series of projects that have been implemented in the nation since 1998, like the Grain for Green Program, which was launched in 1999 and is one of the largest ecological restoration projects in the world: it incentivizes farmers to convert degraded or erosion-prone cropland into forest or grassland, helping to reduce soil erosion, restore ecosystems, and increase carbon sequestration. Another initiative is the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, which is the largest afforestation plan in the world, with its main objective to create a massive belt of trees across northeast China. These measures were created with the objectives of reducing desertification in the dry north and rocky south of the country, increasing agricultural productivity in the central and eastern part of the nation, and reducing erosion, sedimentation, and flooding in the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.
During COP30, the environment minister Huang Runqiu announced China’s participation in a coalition led by Brazil that seeks to unify global carbon markets. The country also submitted its 2035 NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions), committing to reduce economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10% from their peak.
“We need to transform our goals into tangible results through systematic policies and concrete measures. All parties must make efforts to formulate and implement their action plans for the NDCs, while at the same time coordinating economic development and the energy transition,” stated the President of China.

China’s Future

But despite these great feats, China’s future is not all bright. In 2022, China’s population began a steep decline. Since then, its population has only aged and its government has had to turn to population growth incentives and alternate employment options (including the inclusion of migrant workers to the Chinese workforce) to guarantee a successful future. 

China will also struggle to establish itself in the midst of the greater world context. Facing historical opposition from the US, India, EU, and Japan, it’s likely that Chinese priorities, like the reform of environmental mandates and increasing noninterference policy, though increasingly pushed by UN representative Fu Cong, will not be implemented to their full potential. 

Regardless of these factors, an elevation onto greater rungs of the world ladder is still progress, and positive for the country. China’s economic influence, through increased trade and infrastructure development, is likely to proliferate even more. Though China will likely continue to avoid direct military conflict (especially with Taiwan), it’s likely that increased partnership will allow for military growth and in turn indirect military pressures on surrounding countries. Alternative priorities—specifically alternatives to the recent push for human rights recognition—will surely make their way onto the agenda more frequently, and the US agenda may be balanced by foreign challengers. 

So, China’s policy has elevated it. But considering the current state of the world, it’s likely that China will just become an increasingly important world power rather than a dominant one. Political priorities, and the development of ideological norms on the world stage, will likely be murkied by shifting priorities, possibly to the point where personal views—within the US and China—may begin to change.