can someone explain to me why people think china will become the world's new superpower?

I see no reason to believe that China will not increase their global power. They already are a global economic power. However, there are a few things standing in the way of China becoming a "super" power.

1.) They are still a totalitarian communist government operating an economy that is based on serving the current economically dominant culture, Western culture.

2.) The more prosperity that China attains, the more those who provide the man power which drives their economic engine will demand fair and equal treatment in terms of wages and freedoms we in the West take for granted.

3.) They do not produce technology. They copy ideas and counterfeit them.

4.) They currently lack the technology and military capabilities which define a super power. That is, they can not operate globally within a 24 hour notice. The United States still has a the worlds most globally reaching military along with the largest and best equipped Navy that can unleash the full wrath of that power anywhere in the world within 24 hours or less without using weapons of mass destruction.

5.) They are ethnocentric and promote national unity under the majority Han ethnic group over the melting pot mentality.

The above five points are not meant to demean China or the Chinese people. They simply need to overcome the first four in order to become a superpower. I believe 3 out of the 5 can happen. The first 3. Point 5, if not overcome, could lead to a global war if point 4 is obtained by the Chinese military.

The problem for China lies in how overcoming their obstacles can and will be achieved. The current Chinese government could very well become a victim of it's own economic success and have a civil war/revolution on it's hands. One which I fear would be dealt with using extreme draconian measures that haven't been seen in the West since the Nazis.

All of the above is hypothetical of course but it is arrogant to assume that the Chinese cannot become a superpower. They will, and they will in our lifetime. It is only a matter of time and how they will achieve that status.

There are several reasons to think that China will be the next world power, among the reasons are:1) The Western countries have gotten away from the moral fiber that made them great, 2) China has a huge population and an extreme amount of untapped natural resources, 3) They own most of the United States by the amount of money we owe them. Sadly, I'm afraid the USA is on the decline for many reasons and if the USA goes belly up so will Europe and the rest of "Western Culture".

1. China has a strong, growing space program whereas the USA's is declining and has recently decided to abandon manned space flight.

2. Wealth and money equal power. The USA is the world's largest debtor nation. China is one of the world's largest creditor nation.

3. The government of the USA is divided and in near gridlock. China is united and has a powerful government.

4. The USA has a bad civil law system. People try to get rich by suing Walmart or others. Lawyers and others suck the life blood out of the economy. This tactic does not work in China. There people get rich by building factories and making things.

It's the wrong way circular - the US govt has been intentionally reducing the importance of the US Dollar to scrimp off extra debt to China - the owed quantity stays the equal, however the importance has tremendously diminished. And American politicians have the nerves to name China "forex manipulators", while the US is doing the particular equal factor. Politics is filled with hypocrisy, do not consider a phrase from politicians, regularly pass judgement on for your self.

Because they are the worlds leading manufacturer.

We don't hardly make anything in the US any more.

The US is trillions of $ in debt. And much of the money we owe is to China.

The Chinese are building up their military while we are cutting defense spending because we are in so much debt.

China has over a billion people, so they could lose a million soldiers and still keep going.

Yes, China's on her way to superpower status. China has a booming economy, great schools and universities, intact social and political systems, a willingness to risk, cutting-edge technology, is future oriented and is hungry for the title. The US has gotten lazy, socially and political fractured and prefers to play it safe. Once a nation becomes more concerned with keeping what it's got instead of striving for what it might have in the future, it's a goner.

I am afraid China has bought the U.S.

Just wait n see