Too much praise could be poison

Stories in the US news media last week might make many Chinese people feel proud, but they should not be complacent.

On Wednesday, the Pew Center, a US think tank, released a report saying that the United States is facing a new challenge to its superpower status. In 15 of the 22 nations surveyed, the balance of opinion is that China will either replace or already has replaced the US as the world's leading superpower. This view is especially widespread in Western Europe, where at least 60 percent of the people polled see China overtaking the US.

Majorities in Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, Mexico and China also foresee China supplanting the US as the world's dominant power.