By Jin Kai
China has mainly focused on economic power, but other types of reform will shape its continued rise.
As a new-comer to the dominant Western system, China’s emergence so far has been relatively different from that of the previous world powers, which acquired their dominant position either directly or indirectly through wars. Since the late 1970s, China has successfully realized its economic growth by merging into the U.S.-led international community. China has become a true rival to the U.S. if measured by total GDP.
Despite its rapid economic expansion, China has yet to convince the international community of its claimed peaceful rise, particularly in the midst of the on-going disputes with some of its neighbors. China may find itself puzzled by these reactions, since a peaceful rise is not only diplomatic propaganda but also what China truly needs to maintain its economic growth and political stability. In the meantime, China has put on a somewhat harder image in recent years. Within Western academia, there is a near-consensus that China lags in upgrading and enhancing its soft power, which is exactly what a rising China should focus on.
Read the full story at The Diplomat