Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 435
6th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science Research (ICHSSR 2020)
China’s Peaceful Rise: A Necessary Path with Challenges
Xuanyi Zhu1, *
1
School of Foreign Languages, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
*
Corresponding author. Email: [Link]@[Link]
ABSTRACT
In this paper, necessities as well as challenges of China’s peaceful rise will be demonstrated in four sections:
leading national strategies in different historical periods; current domestic and international circumstances;
barriers facing in implementing a soft rise; suggested ways to ameliorate main issues in the future.
Considering today’s intricate international environment and China’s extreme dependence on global stability,
it is a peaceful strategy that has the capability to guarantee China’s core interests and future development. The
major obstacle, nonetheless, is posed for China to boost its international image via combining soft power with
hard power together to realize China’s peaceful rejuvenation without presenting big threats to the
international community.
Keywords: China’s grand strategy, China’s peaceful rise, international image, soft power, China threat
theory
for China to ameliorate its international image and mitigate
those main issues are proposed.
1. INTRODUCTION
The paramount significance of grand strategy has been
widely acknowledged since last century and even be 2. RETROSPECT
regarded as the crucial “ways, means and ends” to a
country’s developments [1]. Domestic studies of China’s What should be prioritized before designing a national
grand strategy mainly started from the 21st century when grand strategy is to set the country’s priorities and interests
lots of Western representative literature were introduced to right. Despite that no official documents have been
China and then be facilitated by Chinese scholars [2]. disclosed by Chinese government to define its grand
China’s strategic goal, reviving the Chinese nation, was set strategies until now, China’s policies have been highly
by Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. It has then been consistent with the country’s domestic interests and
affirmed and enhanced by China’s present leaders as well priorities from the past to the present [6]. In this section,
as Chinese people [3]. In recent years, with the rapidly China’s major strategies from Mao to now will be reviewed.
changing global situation, Beijing has labelled a strategy of
“peaceful rise” to dampen worries about its growing
capabilities [4].Given today’s intricate international order
as well as China’s increasingly significant influence on the 2.1. Nation in turbulence: Mao’s era
international stage, a proper grand strategy for China is In the era of Mao Zedong, facing serious external and
urgently needed [5]. While the international community is internal threats, China’s grand strategies were always
eager to understand China’s strategic thoughts and occupied by political and military security interests.
objectives, no official documents have been disclosed by Regarding nation and party’s interests as priorities, Mao put
Chinese government to define its grand strategy up to now. great emphases on the “principal contradiction” (Mao’s
Consequently, it is time for China to attach more importance argot, which means the major obstacle for China’s
to design its grand strategy which can reflect its core development, whose connotation will change in different
interests, safeguard against external threats, and guarantee situations) all the time. During the Anti-Japanese War
its future development. period, Mao formed the National United Front with various
This paper advocates a peaceful grand strategy for China’s classes and parties to safeguard China’s security despite
rise after articulating its necessities as well as obstacles. different class interests and party affiliations. After Japan’s
Initially, this paper reviews the development of China’s defeat, due to the outbreak of Civil War between Chinese
major grand strategies in different historical periods (from Communist Party (CCP) and Kuomintang (KMT), Mao
Mao to Xi). It then analyses the situation China is in at asserted that the “principal contradiction” had transformed
present in aspects of domestic and international into the KMT regime which jeopardized the realization of a
environments, emphasizing the necessities of a peaceful peaceful and united China, appealing for another united
grand strategy. After that, this article discusses the major front, including broad classes and parties against the KMT
challenges for China to tackle with in the way of regime, to struggle for the founding of the People’s
implementing its peaceful rise. Finally, some suggestions Republic of China and a stable CCP leadership.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.
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Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 435
After the Chinese Communist Party came into power, the sovereignty, security and development”, clearly depicting
new strategies emphasized domestic development such as the contour of China’s core interests.
the Five-Year Plan and Great Leap Forward were So does the strategy under Xi Jinping’s leadership now.
implemented to foster China’s economic advancement. “China Dream”, as proposed by Xi, is set as the national
Meanwhile, the strategies underlined national security and goal to realize China’s great rejuvenation, regarding its own
regime stability were also carried out considering the development as the principle task. Meanwhile, China’s
changing international order: the alliance with Soviet-led resolution to foster international cooperation and rise
socialist bloc in the 1950s, a coalition of the “revolutionary peacefully is articulating steadfastly. As Xi advanced in
forces of the third world” in the mid-1960s, and the alliance 2017, China must follow the road of “peaceful development”
with the United States owing to a more hostile USSR after firmly and “build a community with a shared future for
1969 [7]. Therefore, it is not difficult to find that although mankind”. At the same time, the nation’s military
the “principal contradiction” was given different construction has never been neglected in order to safeguard
connotations under different historical circumstances, it China’s sovereignty and security in today’s unpredictable
always had a consistent core: national and party’s interests. international society.
Reviewing the development history of China’s grand
strategy, it is obvious that the economic and social
2.2. Nation facing changes: Deng’s choice development, national sovereignty and territory integrity, as
well as the stability of the CCP leadership and socialist
Then came the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. Owing to the system, have been China’s priorities all the time. Hence, a
reduced likelihood of large-scale military conflicts with peaceful grand strategy, with its ability to guarantee these
Soviet Union or the United States, as well as China’s priorities, is highly consistent with China’s core interests
success in its nuclear capability to defend the territory and and leaders’ thoughts all the while.
sovereign integrity, grand strategies at that time tended to
attach more importance on economic constructions,
especially the reform and opening up policy initiated by 3. WHERE ARE WE TODAY
Deng. Then with the falling curtain of the bipolar world and
the coming age of unipolar power, uncertainties of In this section, necessities for China to adopt a peaceful
discerning China’s friends and enemies increased, leading grand strategy will be demonstrated considering both
to a preference for more mild and inclusive strategies. domestic and international factors. Concentrating on
Decisions such as the accession to WTO showed China’s domestic demands to promoting its economy, modernizing
determination of cultivating cooperative relations with its society and enhancing people’s living standards, China
various countries in the international arena to guarantee its has always put its emphases on domestic developments
core interests. instead of being too aggressive in the world stage. What’s
Meanwhile, in spite of increasingly significant economic more, at today’s transitional point of the international order,
interests, the nation’s security and sovereignty interests it is China’s responsibilities as well as interests to contribute
stayed indispensable. Without overt external military to a peaceful international environment for the sake of its
threats, China was still facing series of subtle risks such as own development.
the ideological or political corrosions caused by growing Two things are valuable when judging a country’s potential
exchanges in many aspects with the Western world, the direction of its grand strategy: leaders’ objectives and social
Taiwan issue, maritime sovereignty disputes in the East and conditions. In today’s China, these two aspects all require a
South China Seas. Conspicuously, China’s grand strategy peaceful rise strategy for its capability to best guarantee
was still dominated by the country’s domestic priorities, China’s core interests.
including economic developments, territory sovereignty Paying some attentions to the thoughts and objectives
and regime stability. enunciated by Chinese leaders, it is explicit that they are
leading China to a peaceful development path by seeking
domestic enhancement and international cooperation. Back
2.3. Nation in 21st century: peaceful to Deng’s leadership, a three-stage development plan has
cooperation been set in 1987, emphasizing the economic growth in the
first and second stages by the end of the 20th century, and
After entering the new century, China’s grand strategy was becoming a mid-level developed country in the third stage
increasingly inclined to a peaceful path. Under Hu Jintao’s by 2050. Since 2003, concepts such as a “scientific outlook
leadership, Beijing had formulated a new development and on development” and “building a harmonious society” have
social policy geared toward continuing to promote fast been expounded. Today under Xi’s leadership, a two-stage
economic growth while emphasizing good governance, development plan is proposed: to build on the foundations
improving the social safety net, protecting the environment, of China’s modern economy from 2020 to 2035; then to
encouraging independent innovation, lessening social become a state with substantial global influence from 2035
tensions, perfecting the financial system, and stimulating to 2050. Xi has further declared in his 19th CCP Congress
domestic consumption [6]. As Hu announced in 2009, Report that China “has stood up, grown rich and become
China’s diplomacy must “safeguard the interests of strong”, and the major task for the next generation is to
“embrace the brilliant prospects of rejuvenation since “it
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Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 435
will be an era that sees China moving closer to centre stage but also it can maximize and optimize China’s core interests
and making great contributions to mankind”. in today’s elusive international order.
Conspicuously, Chinese leaders’ national goals have always
been in line with China’s domestic interests especially
economic gains to ensure the country’s sovereignty, 4. RISING CHALLENGES
security and development.
With respect to the leaders’ attitude toward the international Following this peaceful path to maintain China’s
society, Chinese government has always committed itself to sustainable development, nevertheless, poses an arduous
facilitate global collaboration. The Central Committee of task for its leadership: ameliorating China’s international
the CCP has clarified that China’s foreign policy “must image. In this section, the main barriers for addressing this
maintain economic construction as its centrepiece, be challenge will be demonstrated.
closely integrated into domestic work, and be advanced by As Ramo, the proposer of “Beijing Consensus”, declared in
coordinating domestic and international situations” in 2006. 2007, “China’s greatest strategic threat today is its national
Furthermore, this trend has become progressively evident in image”. Nowadays, policies such as the Belt and Road
recent years. As advocated by Xi, the concept such as “build Initiative have caused more doubts and suspicions around
a community with a shared future for mankind” has the world about China’s so-called real motivation.
penetrated into China’s policies recently through the Belt Specifically, with the prevalence of “China threat theory”,
and Road Initiative and the like. Distinct from conventional a grand strategy with the capability to facilitate China's rise
international relation theory which argues that an open by reducing the likelihood its growing power will pose
world economy requires a single great power in terms of threats to others and provoke them to oppose China is
hegemonic stability theory, China has practiced urgently needed.
multilateralism with its neighboring countries since 1990s, For the sake of an amicable and desirable international
seeking new types of partnerships and contributing to image, several major obstacles are supposed to be tackled
common development. For example, the Chinese initially:
government released its white paper on China’s Policies on (1) Chinese leaders pay much more attention to the GDP
Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation in 2017, proclaiming that growth rather than “cultivate real affinities with foreign
“the development of a regional security framework should publics”. While seeking for a large amount of exports and
be advanced in parallel with the development of regional foreign direct investment, for example, China’s diplomacy
economic framework”. might be regarded as too pragmatic or economic-oriented,
What is equally worth noticing is that facing new changes instead of creating a compatible image.
in today’s intricate international circumstance, it is a (2) Facing a “hegemony of discourse” where most of the
peaceful grand strategy that can boost China’s rise world’s news is presented within the framework of Western
successfully. Initially, owing to increasingly tight ideology, China neglects the effective usage of modern
connections between various countries around the world, it media. While mainstream social platforms around the world
will be imprudent for China to define any country as an are dominated by Western media such as twitter, Facebook,
enemy. Hence, instead of being country-oriented, being Instagram and the like, Chinese ideology is to some extent
issue-oriented is a more sensible choice. isolated from the international community, deteriorating by
For instance, while the United States might form military or the “wall” set in mainland China, which impedes other
political threats to China, it is still one of China’s most countries to understand Chinese thoughts correctly and
significant economic partner; while Iran is a key supplier of creates a conservative image.
oil to China, its nuclear issue still tests China’s official (3) Chinese culture itself is distinct from the dominating
stance; while Japan and some Asian countries might involve Western way, which is too culturally specific to be
in geopolitical conflicts with China, they are still comprehended appropriately, setting barriers for the world
indispensable to China in both economic cooperation and to understand China’s political discourse correctly. For
territory security; while diverse countries all over the world instance, while Chinese people are accustomed to
might generate conflicts in numerous aspects, they still need collectivism, Western people are in the habit of
to face global issues, global warming, terrorism, epidemic individualism. This discrepancy might bring
and so on together. misinterpretations to Western people by connecting
Moreover, given China’s current social situations where Chinese people’s frequent use of “us”, “one family”, and
series of livelihood issues have not been settled thoroughly, such concepts with communist ideology. Such details might
and national goals proposed such as building an all-around create misunderstandings, let along many more profound
well-off society, a stable and peaceful environment with the and unfathomable concepts in Chinese culture.
ability to guarantee sustainable economic growth is of (4) Usually applying the term external propaganda, China
paramount significance. Consequently, it is in China’s own has long neglected the concept of public diplomacy. While
interests to contribute to a peaceful international community. emphasizing the advertisement of China’s achievements to
After discussing China’s domestic situations, including enhance its positive image overseas, for example, China
leaders’ thoughts and social needs, as well as uncertainties might neglect that the role of general public is of equal
in the ever-changing international society, not only is a importance, leading to divergences between the public and
peaceful grand strategy in accordance with Chinese wisdom, political elites, which might generate inflammatory
comments.
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Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 435
5. WHAT CAN WE DO from the era of Mao to the present, and changing situations
facing China currently. Considering China’s core interests,
Facing all these challenges on the way to implementing a including sovereignty, security and development, as well as
peaceful rise, it is time for China to make some changes for regime stability, it is a peaceful strategy that is in line with
the sake of a favorable international image. In this section, China’s development ideas and can best safeguard its
some suggestions to alleviate these issues will be given. interests in this intricate international community. After that,
What should be prioritized is that China should put more mainly concerning the amelioration of China’s international
emphases on its soft power when designing a grand strategy image and the cultivation of soft power, major challenges
to “build an international image of cooperative, friendly and facing China in implementing its soft rise are proposed and
responsible country” despite the strenuous costs and efforts. several opinions are given. The issues raised and discussed
With this positive image, the “China threat theory” can be in this paper, nonetheless, are still lack of more
alleviated by informing the world exactly what will China comprehensive perspectives and exhaustive analysis,
do after its “rise”, providing China with a more waiting for further researches.
advantageous international environment for its future To conclude, after discussing the reasons for pursuing a
development. peaceful rise and the barriers for achieving it, China’s
To bolster the international image by cultivating soft power, peaceful rejuvenation is possible as well as essential for its
Chinese government is supposed to “take positive and national interests and future development. A formidable
effective public diplomacy steps and place the practice of challenge posed for China now is to enhance its
public diplomacy at the heart of the national strategy” since international image by boosting the nation’s soft power,
public diplomacy has a long history as an essential method requiring a more sophisticated grand strategy.
of fostering a country’s soft power. Measures such as
informing the public of its thoughts explicitly to obtain
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6. CONCLUSION
In this paper, necessities of China’s peaceful rise have been
demonstrated from two aspects: China’s leading strategies
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