China has set its sights high – very high – in terms of economic development, aiming to become not just one of the world’s superpowers by 2049 (the 100 year anniversary of the People’s Republic of China) but the leading superpower worldwide. With such lofty goals China has barreled full-speed ahead toward the future, and now it’s starting to look like the nation’s hasty growth is finally catching up with it. China’s superpower ambitions don’t seem like such a far-fetched idea, considering that China is already the second-largest economy in the world and growing all the time. But for China, this comes with a massive set of challenges. “China faces a protracted and increasingly difficult struggle to secure energy and water supplies to feed its insatiable appetite. From having to sustain a population over four times that of America’s 330 million, China is already at a severe disadvantage against […]