Friday, March 17, 2023

Conclave 2023: Will China replace US as global superpower? Here’s what an expert had to say

Asked if China would inevitably outstrip America’s growth and beat India in the race to become the leading global superpower, Michael Pillsbury drew an interesting parallel with a cricket match.


Devika Bhattacharya
New Delhi
,UPDATED: Mar 17, 2023

Author and Senior Fellow for China Strategy at The Heritage Foundation, Michael Pillsbury speaks at the India Today Conclave 2023 (India Today/Manish Rajput)

By Devika Bhattacharya:

 China has grown faster than expected but the response from the rest of the world has been weak, said renowned author and China expert Michael Pillsbury at the India Today Conclave 2023.

Referring to China’s “Hundred-Year Marathon” strategy, Pillsbury said that for a long time, Beijing has been thinking ahead about what it must do to surpass all other world powers.

The US had grossly underestimated China’s capabilities and was taken aback when the eastern nation surpassed it in key sectors – from Fortune 500 companies to developing hypersonic missiles, and reaching the far side of the moon, he said.

Can #China replace the #UnitedStates as world's No.1 power? Here's what @mikepillsbury, Senior Fellow for China Strategy at The Heritage Foundation, said.

Watch full video:https://t.co/THWeTFQ7wG#IndiaTodayConcalve #Conclave23 pic.twitter.com/L1ZV4CyWfF — IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) March 17, 2023

He said he had imagined that the US would be part of a coalition of nations, with India as a key player, whose main aim would be to keep China in check.

“No such coalition has formed anywhere in the world against China’s conduct. Instead, the Quad was formed; initially it was thought it would talk about China, but one country in the group prevented the others from saying anything negative about China," he claimed.

Asked if China would inevitably outstrip America’s growth and beat India in the race to become the leading global superpower, Pillsbury drew an interesting parallel with a cricket match.

“In the US-China or India-China competition, there is no announcement, the score is not made public and there is no umpire. So the role of India and the global media is very important to describe the game that is going on, which indicators should be watched,” said Pillsbury.

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