Over the past 20 years, China has experienced incredible growth.
It is now the second largest economy in the world.  Despite its recent slowdown, it continues to be one of the fastest growing economies the world. 
Experts expect the country to overtake the U.S. as the world's largest economy in the next 15 years.
Obviously, its size is having tremendous ripple effects across the world.
What's more, it sets on vast resources that have the ability to tilt the entire global commodities markets.
Finally, the country also has a reputation for engaging in large-scale shady practices that have forced the rest of the world to rethink how they manage security and protect intellectual property.
We put together some of the key ways in which China is impacting the global economy, politics and culture.