ABSTRACT
The conclusion summarizes the major findings of the research and evaluates the results of the US policy to maintain its rank as the sole superpower and of China’s policy to reclaim world power status. The international situation is also taken into consideration to evaluate if we are evolving towards a bi-polar world (China–US) or if we are, more likely, evolving towards a multipolar world where Europe, Russia and India, as well as several regional powers such as Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, may play an important role by aligning themselves with one or the other global powers. The Conclusion deals also with the question of whether China will play its international role as a new capitalist country embedded in the liberal capitalist world system, or as an authoritarian country with a socialist market economy able to change the rules of the international order.
