How much global influence does China have?
While China is not yet a superpower, it is growing in influence both in terms of its economy and its military.
Military influence
While the US military is considered to be the most advanced in the world, the Chinese military is by far the largest. The Chinese military has around 2.8 million soldiers, sailors, and airmen 鈥 this is twice the US number.
There have been territorial disputes in the South China Sea. This area is important for global trade. Countries in the area have had work disrupted by Chinese boats. This includes fishing and oil exploration and has led to the US, Australia and the UK sending warships to the area.
In September 2021, the USA entered a new security pact with the UK and Australia called AUKUS. This has been described as a pact against China, although the country wasn鈥檛 mentioned in the launch to the press.