The global political system resulting from the end of the Cold War, which consecrated the implosion of the Soviet Union at the turn of the 1990s, remains marked with the American superpower. China, which has naturally always been a great nation in the international system, is on a steady and tremendous growth, a development process which is leading to a dramatic change in the global power distribution and the positioning of China as a potential contender of the U.S. the world affairs.
While China needs to pursue its economic, security and political goals, it must also deal with the security dilemma induced by its emergence as a great power. This study discusses how China pursues its rise with the constraint of the American dominance of the international system. Essentially a theoretical undertaking, this thesis proposes an analysis of China’s emergence from the assumptions of offensive realism developed by John J. Mearsheimer.
It results from this analysis that China appears to follow a strategy that combines three complementary dimensions: on the internal level, economic and military reforms; and externally, an assertive and effective diplomacy in line with its strategic goals. Such an approach is innovative in the sense that it aims to raise the national and international profile of China through mainly economic power rather than military.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Power Strategy
From ‘Latent’ Power to ‘Actual’ Power
Asserting without Provoking
Great Power Diplomacy
Chapter 1. THE NOTION OF POWER
1.1 Power: A Multifaceted Concept
1.2 Power Criteria
1.3 Power in the Emerging of International Relations as a Discipline
1.4 Power as States’ Capacity
Power as the capacity to impose or destroy
Power as capacity for action and leeway
Power as the capacity to structure one’s international environment
1.5 Power and its Modes of Action
Chapter 2. THE REALIST THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Realism as a Paradigm
2.2 Offensive Realism as a Theory of International Politics
Buck-passing vs Balancing
The Balancing Strategy
Soft Balancing vs Hard Balancing
Chapter 3. INTERNAL BALANCING: THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION
3.1 Offensive Realism and the Economic Variable in the Power Equation
3.2 Economic Development: a Central Pillar of China’s Strategy
A Unique View of Peaceful Development
The Economy: An Internal-External Security Imperative
The Economy: A Preferred Lever of ‘Balancing’
3.3 The ‘Hard Economic Power’ Tool
World Trade Driver
Global Investor
Geopolitical Implications
Chapter 4. INTERNAL BALANCING: THE MILITARY DIMENSION
4.1 Offensive Realism and the Quest for Military Power
4.2 Military Doctrine
Initial Doctrine
First Doctrinal and Strategic Shift
Recent Doctrine
An Active Defense Strategy
4.3 Military Budget
4.4 A Prospective Military Superpower
Chapter 5. EXTERNAL BALANCING: THE POLITICAL DIMENSION
5.1 China’s Policy through the Lens of Offensive Realism
5.2 Multilateralism
5.3 Bilateralism
China-Russia
China-U.S.
China-Europe
Relations with the Third World
5.4 Influence in Africa
The Aid Tool
An alternative development model
Altering the balance of power
Perceptions in the West
The win-win approach
5.5 Influence in Asia
Policy in Central Asia in the 1990s and early 2000s
Recent Development in the Asia Pacific Region
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to analyze China’s emergence as a global power through the theoretical lens of offensive realism. The study investigates how China develops and implements a grand strategy that maximizes its relative power while navigating the constraints of a unipolar system dominated by the United States, specifically focusing on its ability to assert its position without triggering direct confrontation.
- The application of offensive realism as a framework to interpret China’s state behavior.
- The strategic integration of internal balancing through economic reforms and military modernization.
- The role of assertive diplomacy and multilateral/bilateral relations as external balancing mechanisms.
- The transition of China from a latent power to an active global contender within the existing international order.
- The impact of China’s "peaceful development" discourse on the perceived security dilemma in global politics.
Excerpt from the Book
Power Strategy
In order to achieve their goals, political leaders need methods and means. That is what the French general Jean Salvan called ‘strategy’, a term he defines as “the set of methods and means used by political leaders to attain their ends”. Christopher Layne defines grand strategy as a three-step process which comprises: (1) the determination of a state’s vital security interests; (2) the identification of threats to these interests and (3) the decision on how best to make use of the state’s political, military and economic resources in order to protect those interests. Thus a comprehensive strategy design will include a wide range of factors such as economic resources, productive capacities, culture, ideology, political institutions, etc. A grand strategy, therefore, represents a roadmap outlining a state’s main objectives of its foreign policy. Although this is a difficult thing to design and its outcomes impossible to accurately predict, nevertheless, having a reading grid always allows policymakers to define or redefine their priorities in relation to the world.
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION: This section provides an overview of the international system post-Cold War, defining the scope of China's rise and introducing the concept of grand strategy as the method for states to achieve their objectives.
Chapter 1. THE NOTION OF POWER: This chapter explores the multi-dimensional concept of power, distinguishing between absolute, relative, hard, and soft power, and contextualizing its central role in International Relations theory.
Chapter 2. THE REALIST THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: This chapter discusses realism as a paradigm, specifically focusing on the differences between defensive realism and John Mearsheimer's offensive realism, which acts as the analytical framework for the thesis.
Chapter 3. INTERNAL BALANCING: THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION: This chapter examines how China utilizes economic development as a central pillar of its grand strategy, viewing economic wealth as a foundation for military and relative power.
Chapter 4. INTERNAL BALANCING: THE MILITARY DIMENSION: This chapter explores the military aspects of China’s internal balancing, detailing the evolution of its military doctrine, defense budget, and its path toward becoming a prospective military superpower.
Chapter 5. EXTERNAL BALANCING: THE POLITICAL DIMENSION: This chapter analyzes how China uses multilateralism and bilateral partnerships as tools of external balancing to expand its influence while minimizing the risk of direct conflict with the United States.
Keywords
China, offensive realism, strategy, power, grand strategy, international relations, economic development, military modernization, balancing, multilateralism, bilateralism, soft power, hard power, hegemony, US-China relations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this thesis?
The research examines the emergence of China in the post-Cold War era and how it utilizes a multi-dimensional grand strategy to increase its global influence while interacting with the existing American-led international system.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in this study?
The study centers on International Relations theory, specifically offensive realism, and explores its practical application in China's internal economic/military reforms and external political/diplomatic strategies.
What is the central research question?
The thesis explores how China manages to implement a grand strategy to assert its status as a great power without provoking a direct and detrimental confrontation with the sole world superpower, the United States.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The work utilizes a content analysis of policy documents and secondary research combined with a deductive approach, framing the gathered empirical data within the assumptions of offensive realism.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body breaks down China’s strategy into internal dimensions—economic development and military modernization—and external dimensions, specifically the utilization of multilateral institutions and strategic bilateral partnerships.
How can the key characteristics of this work be summarized?
The work is characterized by its theoretical focus on structural/offensive realism, its pragmatic analysis of China’s rise, and its objective to explain how Beijing navigates the security dilemma caused by its growing power.
How does the author interpret the concept of "Peaceful Rise"?
The author views the concept of "peaceful development" or "peaceful rise" as a calculated strategic narrative rather than an ideological shift, designed to reassure the international community while China builds its foundational power.
What specific role do international institutions play in China’s strategy?
According to the analysis, China uses these institutions as a "double-edged tool": to signal responsibility and stability to the world, while simultaneously utilizing them as diplomatic arenas to protect national interests and counter unilateral U.S. hegemony.
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- Abel Muyisa (Autor:in), 2018, China's emergence and the balance of power, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/429919
