Comprehensive National Power
Encyclopedia
Comprehensive National Power (CNP) ' onMouseout='HidePop("3455")' href="/topics/Pinyin">pinyin
: zōnghé guólì) is a putative measure, important in the contemporary political thought of the People's Republic of China
, of the general power of a nation-state. Unlike most Western
concepts of political power, Chinese political thinkers believe that CNP can be calculated numerically by combining various quantitative indices to create a single number held to measure the power of a nation-state. These indices take into account both military factors (known as hard power
) and economic and cultural factors (known as soft power
). CNP is notable for being an original Chinese political concept with no roots in either contemporary Western political theory, Marxism-Leninism
, or pre-20th century Chinese thinking.
There is a general consensus that the United States
is the nation with the highest CNP and that mainland China
's CNP ranks not only far behind the United States but also behind the United Kingdom
, Russia
, France
and Germany
. Although some Western assessments of China suggest that China will be able to match or overtake the United States in the 21st century, the most recent Chinese projections of CNP suggest that this outcome is unlikely.
According to Reports on International Politics and Security published in January 2006 in the Yellow Book of International Politics by the Social Sciences Center, a government-sponsored Chinese think-tank, the list of top 10 countries with the highest CNP score were as follows:
Within Chinese political thought, the main goal of the Chinese state is to maximize China's CNP. The inclusion of economic factors and soft power measures within most CNP indices is intended to prevent China from making the mistake of the Soviet Union
in overinvesting in the military at the expense of the civilian economy.
A fairly simplistic and effective index was developed by Chin-Lung Chang. It uses critical mass, economic capacity and military capacity. Due to its indicators, it is often repeatable and easy to define, making it comparable to the Human Development Index
in understanding and reliability.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: zōnghé guólì) is a putative measure, important in the contemporary political thought of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, of the general power of a nation-state. Unlike most Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
concepts of political power, Chinese political thinkers believe that CNP can be calculated numerically by combining various quantitative indices to create a single number held to measure the power of a nation-state. These indices take into account both military factors (known as hard power
Hard power
Hard power is a term describing political power obtained from the use of military and/or economic coercion to influence the behavior or interests of other political bodies...
) and economic and cultural factors (known as soft power
Soft power
Soft power is the ability to obtain what one wants through co-option and attraction. It can be contrasted with 'hard power', that is the use of coercion and payment...
). CNP is notable for being an original Chinese political concept with no roots in either contemporary Western political theory, Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
, or pre-20th century Chinese thinking.
There is a general consensus that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is the nation with the highest CNP and that mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
's CNP ranks not only far behind the United States but also behind the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Although some Western assessments of China suggest that China will be able to match or overtake the United States in the 21st century, the most recent Chinese projections of CNP suggest that this outcome is unlikely.
According to Reports on International Politics and Security published in January 2006 in the Yellow Book of International Politics by the Social Sciences Center, a government-sponsored Chinese think-tank, the list of top 10 countries with the highest CNP score were as follows:
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
90.62 |
| 2 |  United Kingdom |
65.04 |
| 3 |  Russia |
63.03 |
| 4 |  Early Modern France |
62.00 |
| 5 |  Germany |
61.93 |
| 6 |  Mainland China |
59.10 |
| 7 |  Japan |
57.84 |
| 8 |  Canada |
57.09 |
| 9 |  South Korea |
53.20 |
| 10 |  India |
50.43 |
Within Chinese political thought, the main goal of the Chinese state is to maximize China's CNP. The inclusion of economic factors and soft power measures within most CNP indices is intended to prevent China from making the mistake of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in overinvesting in the military at the expense of the civilian economy.
A fairly simplistic and effective index was developed by Chin-Lung Chang. It uses critical mass, economic capacity and military capacity. Due to its indicators, it is often repeatable and easy to define, making it comparable to the Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...
in understanding and reliability.
External links
- http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/china/doctrine/pills2/index.html - China Debates the Future Security Environment