Since late May 2026, a statement has once again gone viral with explosive popularity: "China is the only superpower that doesn’t know how powerful it truly is."
The origin of this quote traces back to July 2025, when Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russia’s *National Defense* magazine and a military expert, made the remarks during an interview with Sputnik News.
His original words were: “Looking across the world, China is the only superpower that doesn’t realize its own strength.” “Around the globe, only China itself remains unaware of just how powerful it truly is.”
A year later, this statement has resurfaced and gone viral once again. How should we interpret it?
The fact that this phrase surged across social media in late May 2026 isn’t merely a fleeting internet meme or blind national self-congratulation. Rather, it reflects a profound contrast between two realities: the evolving global perception of China’s growing strength and the Chinese public’s internal sense of self-awareness—rooted in a pragmatic, modest mindset.
For ordinary Chinese citizens, their perception of the nation often stems from daily life experiences—such as mortgage burdens, income inequality, and challenges in education, healthcare, and elderly care. Because these shortcomings and areas needing improvement are real and tangible, most people maintain a grounded perspective: “We are still a developing country,” “We are still catching up.”
Cultural humility also plays a crucial role. Unlike certain nations that project three parts of strength as tenfold grandeur, China tends to adopt a more restrained approach—“with ten parts of strength, we speak only of three with caution.” We avoid flaunting wealth, practicing restraint and strategic patience. This inwardly reflective, self-critical posture as a major power leaves many foreigners deeply impressed: despite having world-leading infrastructure, public safety, logistics efficiency, and industrial completeness, many Chinese people still feel “it’s not good enough yet.”
Entering 2026, global geopolitics have become increasingly turbulent, with political, economic, and trade landscapes facing numerous uncertainties. Yet China has demonstrated remarkable resilience. Even traditional Western powers like the United States have been forced to acknowledge China’s comprehensive national strength.
In 2025, China’s GDP surpassed 140 trillion yuan, and its manufacturing value-added has remained at the top globally for years. China possesses the world’s only complete industrial chain system, covering all 41 major industrial categories. This “all-around” capability gives China immense confidence when facing external pressure and containment.
Technological and military breakthroughs have further reinforced this narrative. U.S. chip sanctions failed to contain China—they instead catalyzed explosive growth in China’s semiconductor industry. By early 2026, integrated circuit exports had surged nearly 70% year-on-year. Militarily, even staunch anti-China figures like Senator Marco Rubio were compelled to admit after visiting China in May 2026: “The Chinese military is unequivocally the world’s second strongest force.”
During President Trump’s visit to China in May 2026, the U.S. made a rare shift in its characterization of China. The Pentagon even classified China as “the most powerful nation relative to the U.S. since the 19th century.” Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken candidly admitted that if the U.S. and China were to face off directly, America might not win. These official acknowledgments from adversaries have transformed the term “superpower” from mere rhetoric into cold, hard strategic assessment.
The reason this statement resonates so widely lies in its exposure of a core truth: genuine strength is not about flexing muscles globally or sacrificing domestic development to sustain dominance. True power lies in the perfect integration of stable internal governance and rising external capabilities.
In sum, this statement both affirms the Chinese people’s humble and pragmatic spirit and objectively describes China’s current hard power. It reminds us: on the international chessboard, your rivals understand your weight better than you do. And on the path of domestic development, maintaining clarity and vigilance is precisely what enables us to keep growing stronger.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866108421365772/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.