The People's Republic of China is the world's most populous state. It is a great power and is considered to be a potential superpower.
At the end of the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s, China refused to ally itself with the unitarian communist state of Russia, instead opting to focus on building communism within its own borders. China remained aloof from the Cold War, not allying with either state and starting a policy of isolation under the leadership of Mao Yuanxin, who achieved power in the 1970s. Under his rule the nation was isolated from the rest of the world, with Mao preaching a policy of self-reliance and strength. Millions died or were sent to prison camps as Mao established a cult of personality and punished outsiders. Mao's rule would only come to an end during the worldwide revolutions of 2002, where General Cao Gangchuan would despose Mao. Cao opened up China to the rest of the world and became the world's leading communist power, founding Comecon, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, and taking in the formerly Russian-allied countries that remained communist.