CHINA RISING: If the 20th was the American century, the 21st may belong to China. Just five years into it, China has become the world�s third-largest trader, one of its fastest-growing economies, a rising military power in Northeast Asia and a global player extending its influence in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. ENERGY: Barely a dozen years ago, when China’s lamps still burned low, the country didn’t need deep-sea oil ports, massive tank farms and a brawny foreign policy to procure oil in far-flung spots. Today, China is an oil-guzzling dragon with a voracious thirst. MILITARY: The course of the 21st century will be determined in part by the relationship between China and the United States. In many ways, relations are healthier than ever. But the two nations remain potential adversaries, plotting in war games how to thwart each other. INTERNET: China pours huge resources into filtering online content, stifling anything that might threaten Communist Party rule. Each incoming user must give a name and address, then hand over identification to a clerk. Closed-circuit TV cameras monitor from overhead. Every computer terminal is loaded with software to track all activity. If a user heads toward […]