The Transformation of China into a Global Power - Assignment Example

Should we welcome or fear the rise of China in the 21st century. The development of nations worldwide is usually evaluated taking into consideration the status of their economy or their geopolitical role in international relations. In practice, it has been proved that the rapid increase of a country’s economic and military power can lead other countries to concerns since they perceive this outcome as a threat for their interests. Current paper focuses on the rise of China in the 21st century. Reference is made to the historical development of China, as an economic and military power but also to the relationship between China and other countries, especially U.S.A. and Russia. The review of the literature related to this subject leads to the following assumption: in the 21st century China’s growth, in all its aspects, is quite impressive a fact that has been perceived as a threat by countries worldwide. In this context, the relationship between China and its allies, such as Russia and China, has been differentiated; the expansion of conflicts in the Southeast Asia in regard to the geopolitical control of the region are considered as the key reason for the differentiation of China’s role as a key member of the international community. In order to understand the development of China in the 21st century it would be necessary to review primarily the country’s history, especially as related to the preceding period, i.e. the 20th century. In the beginning of the 20th century China has been characterized by the existence of two, key, categories of people: ‘the oppressors and the oppressed people’ (Fairbank and Twitchett 513). In other words, in the particular period the bourgeoisie class was not particularly developed, at least not as in the West (Fairbank and Twitchett 513). In such conditions, the transformation of Chinese society, meaning especially the decrease of social and economic inequalities, would require extensive political action; the gradual development of communism as a means for securing social equality in China has been inevitable (Fairbank and Twitchett 513). The rapid growth of China’s Communist Party, from 1919 onwards, and the successful acquisition of the country’s control by the above party have been the key events of Chinese history in the 20th century (Pletcher 266). However, for China, the 20th century has been related not only to political changes but also to extensive economic reform. The relevant efforts were initiated by Deng Xiaoping, a politician who managed to change the priorities of Chinese economy (Zhang 123). For Xiaoping, decentralization had to be a key priority in regard to the economic reform of China (Zhang 120). However, because decentralization was expected to cause severe oppositions, Xiaoping tried ‘to relate decentralization with Marxism’ (Zhang 120). In this context, the economic reform initiated by Xiaoping has been characterized as ‘socialist modernization’ (Zhang 120), even if there were no common points between Marxism and Xiaoping’s economic programme. The particular programme incorporated four, key, elements: a) liberalization of price; Xiaoping supported the power of the market to set the prices of products/ services without the government’s involvement, b) elimination of monopolies; the state would not have the exclusive control of key products, such as ‘grain or farm products’ (Suliman 6); c) alteration of existing tax framework and d) change of the rules regulating the banking sector, so that the access of individuals and enterprises to borrowing to become significantly easier (Suliman 6). The achievement of the targets presented above could be secured only by the alteration of China’s economic strategy. The latter has been replaced, by the ‘socialist market economy’ (Vajpeyi 47). The current performance of Chinese economy proves that the economic reform of China, as initiated by Xiaoping, had been quite successful. Indeed, in a recent report it is noted that for the last quarter of 2013 China achieved ‘an increase of 7.7% in regard to its GDP’ (Cooper par.2). The above fact is important as it proves the continuous growth of Chinese economy even during periods of strong financial pressures, as the period from 2007 onwards (Cooper 2). Also, in a recent report of OECD, emphasis is given to the following fact: the growth of the Chinese economy is expected to remain high in the coming years. As a result, in 2016 China will be the world’s most powerful economy, even above the U.S. economy which is currently the leading economy in the global market (Cooper par.2). Recently, China managed to get the first position in the global market as the most powerful ‘goods trader’ (Anderlini, and Hornby, par.1). Under these terms, China should be considered as the most powerful competitor in markets worldwide (Anderlini and Hornby par.1). A similar assumption is made if reviewing China’s performance in regard to military development. In the graph in Figure 1 below, the investment made on military purposes by China and US is presented, in comparison. The superiority of China in the particular sector is clear, at least in regard to development of the country’s military equipment and resources. Figure 1 - The Economist. “The dragon’s new teeth.” April 7th, 2012. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.economist.com/node/21552193 It should be noted that the increase of China’s military power would not be achieved without the availability of funds required for the particular strategy. The country’s high economic performance, as analyzed earlier, has secured the availability of such funds, at least for now (The Economist, par.1). Moreover, it is estimated that in the near future, by 2020, China will be able to face any potential military attack, even by countries considered as military powers, such as USA (The Economist, par.1). It was in 2003 that military analysts highlighted the significant prospects of China’s military forces; according to the relevant report the military forces of China showed signs of stable growth, a trend that has been continued up today (Council on Foreign Relations, par.2). On the other hand, the continuous increase of China’s military power could, possibly, create concerns to the country’s closer allies, such as Russia and U.S.A. The current relationship between China and Russia can be characterized as proactive and supportive; the recent decision of Russia to intervene in Ukraine has been welcomed by China (FlorCruz and Armstrong par.1). It should be noted that the relationship between China and Russia has been traditionally at good level; the support that China provided to Russia in regard to the Ukraine case denotes the willingness of China for the further strengthening of the country’s relationship with Russia (FlorCruz and Armstrong par.1). A different assumption could be made in regard to the relationship between China and U.S.A. In 2013 a survey was developed by a global institute for identifying the attitudes of people in USA in regard to China; a limitation of the approval of China’s economic and geopolitical choices has been reported (Perlez par.3). This trend indicates the weakening of the relationship between the two countries. The events related to Ukraine, where China took the side of Russia, have also affected the above relationship (FlorCruz and Armstrong par.1). The deterioration of China’s relationship with U.S.A. does not seem to affect the potentials of the former to seek for a long term growth. In fact, the research over China’s future economic growth has led to the following finding: by 2030 China will be a leader in the global market, in terms of its economy (McGreal, par.1). The above phenomenon has been highly related to the continuous growth of China’s ‘middle class’ (McGreal, par.1). This means that by that year China would have a decisive role in the economic and geopolitical decisions related to Asia. The high growth of China as a military power could support the country’s transformation in a global power. However, the transformation of China in a leading power would not be easily accepted by capitalistic countries worldwide. These countries would fear that China threatens their interests and that the change of the country’s image, as a critical member of the international community, could result to the limitation of their role in the development of critical economic decisions worldwide (Foreign Affairs, par.1). Indeed, if China would become the most powerful country, as of its economy, then, two events would be expected to follow: a) China should try hard ‘to change the rules of international institutions’ (Foreign Affairs, par.2); by achieving this target China could manage to support its interests more effectively before the international bodies and b) China’s leaders would possibly decide to proceed to military missions for expanding existing national borders, a fact that ‘could threaten global security’ (Foreign Affairs, par.2). Such perspectives would not be made acceptable by Western countries, including U.S.A (Council on Foreign Relations, par1). Because of the issues discussed above, China has become a threat for most Western countries. There are many reasons for this phenomenon: a) people in the West tend to consider the case of China as similar to that of Japan, a country that achieved a significant level of technological growth, just like China, a fact that supported its economic growth, b) there are certain Western countries that have become familiar with the idea of their hegemony worldwide; for these countries, losing their leading position in the international community could not be tolerated and c) the economic system of China is such that emphasis is highly given on production; this system creates for China the image of a country that ‘does not care for anyone else’ (Schuman, par.8). Despite the particular problems, the transformation of China in a global power cannot be delayed. Actually, the relevant process is almost completed; China has highly developed most aspects of its economy and has highly emphasized on its military forces so that it is able to support its land rights, if any relevant threat appears. For these reasons it could be stated that China could easily overcome U.S.A. in the next 20 years and become the new superpower. Of course, the achievement of this target would result to severe oppositions by many countries worldwide; at this point, China would have to prove its potential to manage its resources appropriately and to develop a network of alliances that could help the country to face its opponents. The economic and military performance of China up to now denotes the country’s ability to prioritize its needs and to react immediately when its interests are threatened. References Anderlini, Jamil and Lucy Hornby. “China overtakes US as world’s largest goods trader.” Jan 10, 2014. Financial Times. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7c2dbd70-79a6-11e3-b381-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2y2FhtnDr BBC News. “China economic growth rate stabilises at 7.7%.” Jan 20, 2014. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-25805227 Cooper, Rachel. “China to overtake America by 2016” Mar 22, 2013. The Telegraph. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/9947825/China-to-overtake-America-by-2016.html Council on Foreign Relations. “Chinese Military Power.” May 2003. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.cfr.org/china/chinese-military-power/p5985 Council on Foreign Relations. “The Rise of China and the Interests of the U.S.” Vol 41, No 2, April/May 2007. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.cfr.org/china/rise-china-interests-us/p13455 Fairbank, John and Denis, Twitchett. The Cambridge History of China: Republican China, 1912-1949. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983. FlorCruz, Jaime and Paul Armstrong. “Russia may find ally in China -- albeit a passive one for now.” Mar 6, 2014. CNN News. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/05/world/asia/china-russia-ukraine-analysis/ Foreign Affairs. “The Rise of China and the Future of the West. Can the Liberal System survive?” Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63042/g-john-ikenberry/the-rise-of-china-and-the-future-of-the-west McGreal, Chris. “Chinas economy to outgrow Americas by 2030 as world faces tectonic shift” Dec 10, 2012. The Guardian. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/10/chinese-economy-america-tectonic-shift Perlez, Jane. “In China and U.S., Mutual Distrust Grows, Study Finds.” July 18, 2013. The New York Times. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/18/world/asia/in-china-and-us-mutual-distrust-grows-study-finds.html?_r=0 Pletcher, Kenneth. The History of China. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing, 2010. Schuman, Michael. “Why do we fear a rising China?” The Time. June 7, 2011. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://business.time.com/2011/06/07/why-do-we-fear-a-rising-china/ Suliman, Mohamed. Chinas Transition to a Socialist Market Economy. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998. The Economist. “The dragon’s new teeth.” April 7th, 2012. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.economist.com/node/21552193 Vajpeyi, Dhirendra. Modernizing China. Leiden: BRILL, 1994. Zhang, Wei. Ideology and Economic Reform Under Deng Xiaoping, 1978-1993. London: Routledge, 1996. Read More