Peaceful Rise of China

The very concept of ‘Peaceful Rise’ (hepingjueqi) was introduced by the famous Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intellectual named Zheng Bijian in November 3, 2003 at an address made at the Bo’ao Forum for Asia in China. Then Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao also used the term in their speeches in the same year in December, suggesting that the idea might become a more formal component of Chinese foreign policy. This topic has been in news in recent times. There can be arguments for and against as summarized below:

For

• China’s phenomenal growth keeps the world economy afloat. By embracing the market, the world’s biggest country had multiplied its economy 10-fold over the past three decades. Thus China has become the engine of the world economy.
• China is an emerging ‘force for stability’ in world politics. From stabilizing the Middle East to neutralizing Islamic fundamentalism, containing global warming or countering nuclear proliferation, China and West have shared interests.
• The rise of China and other nations like India, Brazil, South Africa and a resurgent Europe will spearhead the march for a ‘Multipolar World’ wherein no one hold a hegemonic position.

Against

• China’s military budget has grown even faster than its GDP, averaging over 12% for over a decade. The 2.3 million strong People’s Liberation Army is fast developing high tech weaponry, from stealth fighters to precision missiles and nuclear submarines. The current President Xi has highlighted a ‘strong military’ in his signature concept ‘China Dream’.
• China’s vast pool of cheap labor, its absence of social or environmental restrains means it can undercut the rest of the world. Its unfair practices and cyber theft are fast killing jobs around the world. The world biggest polluter is also destroying the planet, its carbon emissions are up 171% since 2000.
• Chinese authoritarian model of governance has become a potential threat to spreading democratic values. Beyond its domestic dissidence in Tibet and in Xinjiang, China has been a consistent barrier to UN efforts to curtail despotism from Myanmar to Sudan and Syria.