China's peaceful rise
Encyclopedia
China's peaceful rise was a phrase
that was used by officials and scholars in the People's Republic of China
(PRC) to describe the country's foreign policy
approach in the early 21st century. It seeks to characterize China as a responsible world leader, emphasizes soft power
, and vows that China is committed to its own internal issues and improving the welfare of its own people before interfering with world affairs. The term suggests that China seeks to avoid unnecessary international confrontation.
The term proved controversial because the word 'rise' could fuel perceptions that China is a threat to the established order, so since 2004 the term China's peaceful development has been used by the Chinese leadership.
, which was formulated by thinktanks in the PRC in the mid-1990s.
The term itself was used in a speech given by the former Vice Principal of the Central Party School
, Zheng Bijian
, in late 2003 during the Boao Forum for Asia
http://english.hanban.edu.cn/english/international/94030.htm. It was then reiterated by PRC premier
Wen Jiabao
in an ASEAN
meeting as well as during his visit to the United States
. It appears to be one of the first initiatives by the fourth generation
of the leadership of the PRC, headed by Hu Jintao
and Wen Jiabao
.
In Zheng's speech he pointed out that in the past, a rise of a new power often resulted in drastic changes to global political structures, and even war
(i.e. the hegemonic stability theory
in international relations
). He believed that this was because these powers "chose the road of aggression and expansion, which will ultimately fail." Zheng stated that in today's new world, the PRC should instead develop peaceably, and in turn help to maintain a peaceful international environment.
However, the term proved controversial among the Chinese leadership, in part because some officials thought use of the word 'rise' could fuel perceptions that China is a threat to the established order. At the 2004 session of the Boao Forum, Hu Jintao
, Chinese president, used instead the phrase China's peaceful development. 'Peaceful development' has since been the definition generally used by senior officials, with 'peaceful rise' rarely heard.
and the United States that the rise of the PRC in military
and economic
prominence will not pose a threat to peace and stability, and that other nations will benefit from PRC's rising power and influence.
The doctrine emphasizes the importance of soft power
and is based in part on the premise that good relations with its neighbors will enhance rather than diminish the comprehensive national power
of the PRC. Part of this doctrine dictates that the PRC will avoid neo-mercantilism and protectionism
.
In diplomacy, the doctrine calls for less assertiveness in border disputes such as those concerning the Spratly Islands
, Diaoyu Islands, and South Tibet
. China still has difficult relations with Japan and continues a military modernization program.
.
issued a white paper
in 2005 defining the China's peaceful development strategy in theory and in practice. It has five chapters:
Phrase
In everyday speech, a phrase may refer to any group of words. In linguistics, a phrase is a group of words which form a constituent and so function as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. A phrase is lower on the grammatical hierarchy than a clause....
that was used by officials and scholars in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC) to describe the country's foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
approach in the early 21st century. It seeks to characterize China as a responsible world leader, emphasizes soft power
Soft power
Soft power is the ability to obtain what one wants through co-option and attraction. It can be contrasted with 'hard power', that is the use of coercion and payment...
, and vows that China is committed to its own internal issues and improving the welfare of its own people before interfering with world affairs. The term suggests that China seeks to avoid unnecessary international confrontation.
The term proved controversial because the word 'rise' could fuel perceptions that China is a threat to the established order, so since 2004 the term China's peaceful development has been used by the Chinese leadership.
Origins
Many of the ideas behind the effort to promote the concept of the peaceful rise of the PRC came from the new security conceptNew security concept
The new security concept is a security policy enunciated by the People's Republic of China in the late 1990s. The concept is that in the post-Cold War period, nations are able to increase their security through diplomatic and economic interaction, and that the Cold war mentality of competing and...
, which was formulated by thinktanks in the PRC in the mid-1990s.
The term itself was used in a speech given by the former Vice Principal of the Central Party School
Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, also known as the Central Party School, is the highest institution to train new officials for the Communist Party of China. As of October 03, 2007, it has about 1,300 students...
, Zheng Bijian
Zheng Bijian
Zheng Bijian is a longtime advisor to the leadership of China. He was ranked 96 of 100 on the 2005 Global Intellectuals Poll, and 44 of 100 in the Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinkers in December 2010.Zheng was born in Fushun County, Sichuan...
, in late 2003 during the Boao Forum for Asia
Boao Forum for Asia
The Boao Forum for Asia , abbreviated to BFA, is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in this dynamic region and the world at large. BFA is modelled...
http://english.hanban.edu.cn/english/international/94030.htm. It was then reiterated by PRC premier
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
in an ASEAN
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
meeting as well as during his visit to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It appears to be one of the first initiatives by the fourth generation
Generations of Chinese leadership
Because both the Communist Party of China and the People's Liberation Army promote according to seniority, it is possible to discern distinct generations of Chinese leadership...
of the leadership of the PRC, headed by Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
.
In Zheng's speech he pointed out that in the past, a rise of a new power often resulted in drastic changes to global political structures, and even war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
(i.e. the hegemonic stability theory
Hegemonic stability theory
Hegemonic Stability Theory is a theory of international relations. Rooted in research from the fields of political science, economics, and history, HST indicates that the international system is more likely to remain stable when a single nation-state is the dominant world power, or hegemon...
in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
). He believed that this was because these powers "chose the road of aggression and expansion, which will ultimately fail." Zheng stated that in today's new world, the PRC should instead develop peaceably, and in turn help to maintain a peaceful international environment.
However, the term proved controversial among the Chinese leadership, in part because some officials thought use of the word 'rise' could fuel perceptions that China is a threat to the established order. At the 2004 session of the Boao Forum, Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
, Chinese president, used instead the phrase China's peaceful development. 'Peaceful development' has since been the definition generally used by senior officials, with 'peaceful rise' rarely heard.
Main principle
The term is used primarily to reassure the nations of AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the United States that the rise of the PRC in military
Military of China
Military of China may refer to:*People's Liberation Army **People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison**People's Liberation Army Macau Garrison*Republic of China Armed Forces For Chinese military before 1912, see:...
and economic
Economy of the People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China ranks since 2010 as the world's second largest economy after the United States. It has been the world's fastest-growing major economy, with consistent growth rates of around 10% over the past 30 years. China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of...
prominence will not pose a threat to peace and stability, and that other nations will benefit from PRC's rising power and influence.
The doctrine emphasizes the importance of soft power
Soft power
Soft power is the ability to obtain what one wants through co-option and attraction. It can be contrasted with 'hard power', that is the use of coercion and payment...
and is based in part on the premise that good relations with its neighbors will enhance rather than diminish the comprehensive national power
Comprehensive National Power
Comprehensive National Power is a putative measure, important in the contemporary political thought of the People's Republic of China, of the general power of a nation-state...
of the PRC. Part of this doctrine dictates that the PRC will avoid neo-mercantilism and protectionism
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
.
In diplomacy, the doctrine calls for less assertiveness in border disputes such as those concerning the Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands
The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia , about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land...
, Diaoyu Islands, and South Tibet
South Tibet
The Arunachal Pradesh dispute is a territorial dispute over the region located on the middle of the Yarlung Zangbo River, 300 km north of the Himalayas. It is entirely administered by India as part of its Arunachal Pradesh state; China claims it as a part of its Tibet Autonomous Region and...
. China still has difficult relations with Japan and continues a military modernization program.
Sino-American relations
In addition, this doctrine seeks to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the United StatesSino-American relations
For the article on U.S.-Taiwan relations, see Republic of China – United States relations.Sino-American or People's Republic of China–United States relations refers to international relations between the United States of America and the government of People's Republic of China...
.
Taiwan
The PRC policy toward Taiwan is since 2005 determined by the Anti-Secession Law, which states that Taiwan should be united with mainland China, preferably by peaceful means, but in case Taiwan should formally declare independence or refuse to submit, PRC will use force.Peaceful development road
The State Council of the People's Republic of ChinaState Council of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
issued a white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
in 2005 defining the China's peaceful development strategy in theory and in practice. It has five chapters:
- China is the largest developing countryDeveloping countryA developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
, and economic development according to globalizationGlobalizationGlobalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
is China's main goal. China seeks a multipolarPolarity in international relationsPolarity in international relations is any of the various ways in which power is distributed within the international system. It describes the nature of the international system at any given period of time. One generally distinguishes four types of systems: Unipolarity, Bipolarity, Tripolarity, and...
world rather than hegemonyHegemonyHegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
, and seeks relations with other countries based on the Five Principles of Peaceful CoexistenceFive Principles of Peaceful CoexistenceThe Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known in India as the Panchsheel, are a set of principles to govern relations between states. Their first formal codification in treaty form was in an agreement between by China and India in 1954...
. - A peaceful international environment is essential for China's development. China's development is a major part of global development, as China has factored in world gains in poverty reductionPoverty reductionPoverty is the state of human beings who are poor. That is, they have little or no material means of surviving—little or no food, shelter, clothes, healthcare, education, and other physical means of living and improving one's life....
, and strives to reduce its energy consumptionWorld energy resources and consumption]World energy consumption in 2010: over 5% growthEnergy markets have combined crisis recovery and strong industry dynamism. Energy consumption in the G20 soared by more than 5% in 2010, after the slight decrease of 2009. This strong increase is the result of two converging trends...
. China's growth has lessened the effects of the Late-2000s recession. - China will develop according to scienceScientific Development ConceptThe scientific development concept, sometimes translated as the scientific development perspective, is the current official guiding socio-economic ideology of the Communist Party of China incorporating sustainable development, social welfare, a humanistic society, increased democracy, and,...
. It will develop its domestic marketDomestic marketA domestic market is a financial market. Its trades are aimed toward a single market. A domestic market is also referred to as domestic trading...
and pave a new path to industrialization that is cleaner, and makes more use of information technologyInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and innovation by exploiting its human capitalHuman capitalHuman capitalis the stock of competencies, knowledge and personality attributes embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value. It is the attributes gained by a worker through education and experience...
through education. - China will remain open to the outside worldChinese economic reformThe Chinese economic reform refers to the program of economic reforms called "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" in the People's Republic of China that were started in December 1978 by reformists within the Communist Party of China led by Deng Xiaoping.China had one of the world's largest...
for trade. It will promote organizations like the World Trade OrganizationWorld Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
, and support regional integrationRegional integrationRegional integration is a process in which states enter into a regional agreement in order to enhance regional cooperation through regional institutions and rules...
through institutions like the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. It will address trade and exchange rateExchange rateIn finance, an exchange rate between two currencies is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another. It is also regarded as the value of one country’s currency in terms of another currency...
conflicts on an equal footing with other countries. China will invest abroad and maintain its large labor force and exports for use abroad. - China will promote "democracy in international relations"; with countries interacting on an equal footing through dialog and multilateralismMultilateralismMultilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue.International organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization are multilateral in nature...
and not coercion. China will promote the full participation of developing countries in international affairs, and also help them develop themselves. There should be trust and not a "cold warCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
mentality", and arms controlArms controlArms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction...
and nuclear disarmamentNuclear disarmamentNuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
should be pursued. China will resolve its remaining border disputes peacefully.
See also
- Fengbo Zhang: Speech at “Future China Global Forum 2010”: China Rising with the Reform and Open Policy
- Foreign relations of the People's Republic of ChinaForeign relations of the People's Republic of ChinaThe foreign relations of the People's Republic of China guides the way in which it interacts with foreign nations. As a great power and emerging superpower, China's foreign policy and strategic thinking is highly influential. China officially states it "unswervingly pursues an independent foreign...
- Boao Forum for AsiaBoao Forum for AsiaThe Boao Forum for Asia , abbreviated to BFA, is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in this dynamic region and the world at large. BFA is modelled...
- Political status of TaiwanPolitical status of TaiwanThe controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan hinges on whether Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu should remain effectively independent as territory of the Republic of China , become unified with the territories now governed by the People's Republic of China , or formally declare...
- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
- 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of FriendshipThe Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation is a twenty-year strategic treaty which was signed by the leaders of the two international powers, Jiang Zemin and Vladimir Putin, on July 16, 2001.-Overview:The treaty...
- Military budget of the People's Republic of ChinaMilitary budget of the People's Republic of ChinaThe military budget of the People's Republic of China is the portion of the overall budget of China that is allocated for the funding of the military of the People's Republic of China...
- Chinese CenturyChinese CenturyThe Chinese Century is a neologism referring to the possibility that the 21st century will be dominated by the People's Republic of China, similarly to how the 20th century is often called the American Century, and the 19th century the British Century...
- The Rise of the Great PowersThe Rise of the Great PowersThe Rise of the Great Powers is a 12-part documentary television series broadcast on China Central Television in the People's Republic of China. It was first broadcast at CCTV-2 from November 13, 2006 to November 24, 2006...
External links
- Full Text: China's Peaceful Development Road
- China on the World Stage from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives
- Background Q&A: The Promise and Pitfalls of China's "Peaceful Rise" by the Council on Foreign RelationsCouncil on Foreign RelationsThe Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
- China’s Peaceful Development Doctrine by Shulong Chu and Xiao Ren (NBR Project Report, October 2009)
- Assessing Regional Reactions to China's Peaceful Development Doctrine by Carlyle A. Thayer, Jae Ho Chung and Brahma Chellaney (NBR Analysis, April 2008)
- Essay: "The Middle Kingdom: The Reinstatement of a Revisionist Great Power" by Aron Patrick
- Robert L. Suettinger "The Rise and Descent of "Peaceful Rise" Hoover Institution China Leadership Monitor #12 http://www.hoover.org/publications/clm/issues/2903986.html
- http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/journal/docs-temp/449-corn.pdf , Tony Corn, "Peaceful Rise through Unrestricted Warfare: Grand Strategy with Chinese Characteristics," Small Wars Journal, June 2010.