I am positive China will burst forth in a few decades. China will then be the leading superpower for a century, before some other country, maybe India, gets bigger and richer. The reason why I'm so positive about this is that China actually has invested in USA's international debt. To simplify, China has bought papers from the US saying they (The Americans) will pay China so and so many $ with a certain rate. This is the safest investment possible, as a country never will disappear due to economic trouble. So, basically, USA is still leading at China's mercy. Only the military power separates the two right now.