John Nye , who coined term ` ` soft power , '' says China 's development is far behind that of U.S . He says rise of Germany a century ago threatened China , led to civil war . Even if China 's gross domestic product passes that of the United States around 2030 ( as Goldman Sachs projects ) , the two economies would be equivalent in size , but not equal in composition . Nye says China 's focus has been on its own region . He says China has major internal and external challenges to overcome .
John Nye , who coined term ` ` soft power , '' says China 's development is far behind that of U.S . He says rise of Germany a century ago threatened China , led to civil war . Nye says China 's focus has been on its own region . He says China has major internal and external challenges to overcome .