The United States has been a global military superpower since the first World War. The U.S. Military has dominated air, land, and sea with its impressive arsenal of aircraft carriers, tanks, and F-16’s to name a few. However, there is a communist country with its military capabilities on the rise. China has now surpassed the United States in ships, missiles, and air defense. 

China has already surpassed the U.S. in missile development and its number of warships and air defense systems under the Chinese Communist Party’s plan to achieve dominance by 2049. The ultimate goal of the People’s Republic of China, or PRC, is to “develop a military by mid-Century that is equal to — or in some cases superior to — the U.S. military, or that of any other great power that the PRC views as a threat,” the DoD’s annual report to Congress said. The Chinese navy is composed of 350 ships compared to the United States’ 295. Although the U.S. surpasses China in total tonnage, the Chinese have developed many more smaller watercrafts. 

China’s up and coming military could soon be surpassing the United States in technological development. Due to China’s rapid economic development, military funding and development is at an all-time high. China is developing long-range weapons, nuclear missiles, and new and improved artificial intelligence. China’s government has been known for using AI to closely track and control its people. 

As the tensions between the Chinese and United States continue to rise, there is another underlying issue – The two superpowers are heading into a new “cold war” that could be more damaging to the world compared to the political contest between the U.S. and Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The two countries have slapped a series of new tariffs on each other since 2018,  which escalated into a damaging trade war that spilled into other areas, such as technology and finance. More recently, U.S.-China tensions took another turn for the worse when the Trump administration blamed Beijing for not warning the world of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier and hiding the extent of its outbreak. Another rising conflict is the race to Mars. Both the US and China are competing to be the first country to put humans on mars. 

Between sanctions, tariffs, and an ever-evolving space race, tensions between the United States and China are at an all time high. With the new administration in office, their decisions within the next several months will be imperative. Between the Chinese government having a strong influence on the CDC, and their up and coming military, the Biden administration will have to be strategic with every move they make. If tensions continue to rise, we may be on the verge of a possible world war.