Abstract: The last three decades have witnessed a rapid ascendance of China as a global power. As China has become the second largest economy investing heavily around the world and is rapidly building up its military, the world’s attention has shifted to the prospect that China will become a superpower and how to deal with it.

This article aims to (1) re-examine the concept and definition of “superpower” and “potential superpowers” (PSPs) against the background of China’s rapid rise, (2) describe China’s capability of becoming a superpower and the kind of superpower China will become, (3) analyze the relationship between superpowers and PSPs, and (4) compare potential superpowers, the reasons determines the rise and fall of superpower.