From Great Power to Hegemon: China’s strategic planning in the new century

Abstract

Over the past four decades, the tumultuous change in China has absorbed the attention of the international community. Yet besides the language barrier and China’s claim towards the natural right of doing things its own way, rhetoric from the leadership in Beijing constantly befuddles outsiders. From the perspective of foreign policy, this article seeks to make clear the connections between the rhetoric and strategies in play and argue that China’s actions correspond with a shift from great power status to the search for hegemony. In the process, one can observe China taking more initiatives in the realm of foreign policy. Nonetheless, China continues to lack sufficient ability to contend for hegemony while geopolitics serve as a continuing challenge in the new century.