China poised to claim global pre-eminence

China poised to claim global pre-eminence: "EMPIRES whose power depends on military strength alone rarely maintain their dominance for long. The former Soviet Union is the most recent and conspicuous example of such one-sided suzerainty, but there have been many in world history. In contrast, the United States, which emerged from its Cold War with the Soviet Union as the sole superpower, exercised that power in every sphere: in its global military reach, yes, but also through its many-faceted cultural influence and, above all, because of its economic sway. Since World War II, the US dollar has been the world's reserve currency and the US economy has been the centre of global production as well as the world's biggest market. That pre-eminence, however, is fast disappearing."