China should not take it for granted that it will overtake the United States to become the world’s top superpower, former commerce minister Chen Deming warned on Sunday. At a forum organised by the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank, Chen warned that the country will remain “in the primary stage of socialism” for a long period of time and said its economic size does not give it the leeway to dictate global rules.“When China takes part in global governance, China must follow a strategy of seeking multilateral cooperation,” Chen said. “Do not take it for granted that China is number two, and do not make the assumption that we will be the number one sooner or later.”
