On the eve of hegemon? A world-system approach to the perspective of the PRC global leadership

The article is written in memory of the founder of a world-system analysis, classic of historical sociology, president of the international sociological association (1994-1998) Immanuel Wallerstein. We have joined the discussion regarding the prospects for global leadership of the People's Republic of China in the modern world economy, and asked the question: “Are we witnessing the emergence of China's hegemony while the USA is losing their leadership position?”. The article analyzes the achievements of China and its influence on the global economy in a variety of aspects, presents a brief look at the internal contradictions and problems of the country’s development. We have made a review of some ideas regarding the perspective of China's hegemony with emphasis on the world-system approach developed by I. Wallerstein. In conclusion, we haven’t given an unambiguous answer to his question, but offered new subjects for analytics.