For the past couple of months, several news organizations are reporting China’s astounding economic growth and subsequent mobilization in the Asian region which is both alarming and impressive for many experts. Their economic growth is astounding for the very fact it proves China is still an economic powerhouse even in today’s world given their history as the world’s first traders. On the other hand, however, the mobilization of its forces around its “claimed” territories is alarming because of the possible implications that China is now getting ready to overthrow the United States as the dominant force of the globe. With these news reports on China’s sudden rise to power, it is unclear whether one should see it to be a peaceful modernization on the part of China or a sign of a much more sinister plot to take over. While China indeed faces scrutiny over its actions in resolving its territorial disputes and its political affiliations and stance; China would rise peacefully as the country is now applying peaceful methods in settling its disputes and aiding in political and economic development not just for its own country, but also for other countries.
China’s growing presence in the Asian region and even in several parts of the globe is alarming as it shows that China’s rise would not be stopped and they would use force if necessary to protect their goals. There are at least three areas in which China shows that its rise would not be as peaceful as some may perceive it to be: its actions on territorial disputes and its overall stance both politically and economically, which challenges its rise to power peacefully. In terms of territorial disputes, there have been cases that China has used force to settle or claim its disputed territories since it became the People’s Republic of China in 1949 that causes dispute between the country and the other claimants of the area. According to Fravel (2002), China has been through several key territorial disputes over time and due to geographical purposes. Due to China’s geographical scope and reach, it has been in dispute with surrounding territories that it shares borders with such as Burma, Nepal, North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and even areas such as Laos, Russia (then Soviet Union), India, and Tajikistan. With regards to these areas, China had claimed that they are just regaining the lands they have lost in the Qing Dynasty and they were willing to divide the control if the other party agrees to the settlement . However, if settlement is not reached, China has been recorded to have used force and most of these disputes are yet to be resolved.
In another article, Fravel (2007) stated that China has utilized force in six major territorial disputes that had ravaged the disputed territories and remains unresolved until today with three still unresolved and heavily contested at press time. The first notable dispute is between China and Taiwan, which is mostly due to China’s desire to claim Taiwan back to its territory as one China. For China, Taiwan is a part of its territory and thus would need to be freed from the Nationalists that calls Taiwan their own territory. Taiwan had remained against the idea of uniting back with the mainland, desiring for democracy and its own identity. China did not like this response from Taiwan and had used force in several key areas in the country from 1954 to 1996, mostly in the Taiwan Straits. Taiwan had met China’s attack head on with the help of the United States, who backed out when it has acknowledged China’s one-China Policy. Today, the dispute is still yet to be resolved as China remains firm that Taiwan should be a part of its territory.
Aside from Taiwan, China had also made its claim over several islands in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea in 1951 known as the Paracel and Spratly Islands. In this dispute, China is against several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations namely Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and even Taiwan. The Paracel and the Spratly Islands are known for their hidden oil reserves, which had gotten the attention of these countries in the 1970s, sending their research troops to scout and “claim” their areas. China had clashed with Vietnam to take over the Yongle and Xuande islands in the Paracels, claiming one of them in the process . In the case of the Spratly Islands, however, Agence France-Presse and Reuters (2012) reports that Beijing is now mobilizing its military force to protect the islands they are claiming and causing fellow claimants to be alarmed by this action. A military garrison in China’s Sansha Island in the Paracels had been created to reach out to the Spratlys, or the Nansha Islands for the Chinese. China claimed that it owns much of the South China Sea, especially its islands; much to the ire of other claimants. The Philippines, through its President Benigno Aquino III, had stated that China should respect fellow claimants to the region, as well as the law of the sea, and prepared to upgrade the Philippines’ military force. Vietnam had also argued against China’s action much like how it had argued in the 1970s when their forces fought with China for control of the Paracels .
Finally, China’s territorial dispute with Japan and Taiwan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands is also yet to be unresolved and is currently seeing China’s use of force and military. In the article written by Drifte (2013), the dispute regarding the island is due to the island’s perceived economic riches, most especially oil and natural gas deposits. China and Taiwan claimed that it has been the first nation that has discovered the islands, but had not exercised control in the region. Chinese records clearly state that China owns this island and is a part of China’s coastal defense system. Japan, on the other hand, claimed the island based on sovereignty as the islands were terra nullius or vacant territory in 1895. Taiwan’s claim was very late due to the formation of the Republic of China, nonetheless, Japan controlled and utilized the islands. Currently, China had ordered its military to start sweeping the East Asia Sea and around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands while placing economic sanctions to Japanese businesses based in China. China did not stop from there as they sent out several high powered ships such as the Yuzheng 206, one of China’s newest ships for its navy. Several flights have been sent by the Chinese through the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in January 10 this year to patrol the seas and the area itself. The international community is alarmed by the growing tensions in the region and had sent out forces to aid Japan .
China’s political affiliation and stance would also prevent the country from peacefully rising as it would earn them the scrutiny of the international community. In terms of its official or perceived stance, Ott (2006) cited that China’s growing power is a result of its desire to replace the United States as the influential power in the East as the country is a huge barrier for the resolution of China’s territorial disputes and for China to claim these areas. The US had already supported China’s fellow claimants such as Japan and Taiwan and if these forces are removed, China could move ahead in taking over the region. With Japan firmly neutered by its own constitution and by its alliance with the US, China can easily take over the vacant post as the influential nation in the region. This would easily enable China to claim the disputed territories without retaliation. China is also showing inclination that it wishes to transform the Asian region to its subordinate nations and would heed to China’s interests alone, mirroring the US’ Monroe Doctrine that decreed that no foreign nation should influence nations. For China, this would mean that non-Asian or even Japanese (especially within Southeast Asia) should be expelled from the region. The members of the ASEAN, including the US and Japan had not taken this position well as China’s mobilization in areas such as Burma, Laos and Cambodia threatens the overall security in the region .
China is also allied with both North Korea and Iran, which are considered dangerous nations for the international community. Harold and Nader (2012) stated that both China and Iran have shared close ties as China is Iran’s major trading partner and has collaborated in several programs such as energy development and defense cooperation. Currently, Iran is a challenge to the international community due to its growing nuclear capability, sponsorship to terrorist groups and the threat they pose to the US and allies in the Middle East. China is reluctant to support sanctions against Iran due to their partnership and sees Iran as a leverage against the US. Iran is also a means for China to expand towards the Middle East . In the case of North Korea, Bajoria and Xu (2013) cites that North Korea is China’s biggest trading partner and currently sustains the country’s food, arms and fuel; including the reign of Kim Jong-un. North Korea is considered a threat to the world for both its nuclear capability and also its declaration of war against the US. Both nations are considered communist states and China has utilized its power in the United Nations Security Council to oppose international sanctions to North Korea to prevent North Korea from collapsing and increase the downpour of refugees within China’s borders. North Korea is also a huge market for the Chinese, which is why while it does not control North Korea, it has the capacity to influence the nation should China deem it necessary .
While these challenges disables China from attaining a peaceful ascension into power and ultimately entice conflict, China actually shows that it is applying peaceful methods that would not only foster peaceful settlement of issues, but also open channels for political and economic partnerships. In terms of dispute settlement, Fravel (2002) stated that since the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949, China knew that utilizing force in settling its territorial disputes would not be productive as it would affect the country’s political stability and trigger social unrest from the people. While China knew it had to stabilize its borders and merge them with the state, they would have to compromise with their fellow claimants regarding the control over the region as long as China had a portion of these areas. In terms of heartland disputes, China knew that the legitimacy of the country is at stake if they would not be able to pursue compromises with heartland disputes like Taiwan, Macau or Hong Kong (although the latter two are now part of China. In Taiwan, China’s Mao Zedong had even exclaimed that the country can wait a hundred years for the Taiwan question to be resolved until the other party realizes the consequences of maintaining the dispute and start offering a settlement. In the case of offshore disputes, China knew that these islands would get them in conflict with other claimant countries but these islands are very symbolic. These islands are very cheap to protect, but nonetheless, must be taken in caution.
Out of the majority of China’s overall disputes, 15 disputes have been resolved with a compromise from 1960 to the 1990s. In terms of its frontier disputes with surrounding territories, China had settled in several different occasions peacefully such as in the Tibetan issue in 1959 and 1962. It had also spoken with Moscow in 1964 to discuss settlement over the Chinese-Russian borders of the Amur and Ussuri rivers. By the 1990s, China moved on to settle issues with countries like Laos and Vietnam. Laos had agreed to sign a boundary treaty in 1991 with China to stop the border dispute between them while Vietnam had opened negotiations in 1991 to discuss the end of the border skirmishes in the region. Both Laos and Vietnam had opened its doors to China in creating border trade possible such as the creation of ports, railways and bridges for easy access in these areas. China had also resolved its issue with India in 1991 to work on the “Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas” to stabilize the border and increase trade. In terms of heartland disputes, China had managed to resolve its dispute with Hong Kong and Macau in 1982 and 1984 respectively and revised unequal treaties that prevents the areas from achieving political and economic development. Finally, on offshore disputes, China still remains at odds with its fellow claimants in the Paracels, Spratlys and Senkaku regions but in 1979, former Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping had stated that he is willing to set aside the Senkaku dispute for the betterment of Sino-Japanese relations .
Aside from the peaceful resolution of its dispute settlement, China is also working actively in international politics for the betterment of its fellow nations while it also gains resources and partnerships to stimulate its growth. Fullilove (2011) stated that China is now making huge strides within the United Nations in aiding initiatives such as climate change (reduction of greenhouse gases and enactment of environmental law) and conflict resolution. Since being a member of the UN, China has continuously sent highly sophisticated and capable diplomats to discuss China’s position in important topics that threatens the international community. The country is also contributing in peacekeeping operations, especially in the 1980s when Deng Xiaoping opened China to the world by involving itself with international organizations. China supports these operations financially and in resources as seen in Darfur, Sudan and Congo. In terms of its involvement in the Security Council, China is now willing to take on issues that challenges the agenda of the entire organization. It also works well with Russia and the United States in supporting operations in East Timor and condemning the 9/11 attacks in 2001 .
In terms of its economic partnerships, Tisdell (2009) stressed that China has opened up its borders to the world under the tenure of Deng Xiaoping, who had introduced reforms on education, political partnerships and economic policies that allowed China to perform astoundingly at the present. Xiaoping stated in 1977 that it was crucial that China delivers an impressive performance in ensuring the development of its peoples and introduced economic management strategies to incorporate new technologies, skills and research for modernization. Economic incentives were introduced with the country’s economic system and ensure that the people gain what they deserve. Xiaoping’s policies had immediately demonstrated progress for the Chinese market and succeeded in opening more growth within its sectors . The open-door policy of China had worked wonders with its economic partnerships with other nations despite the territorial conflicts that still persists. Hickey (2005) cited that China is in relations with Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Taiwan as trading partners as these nations export and invest in the Chinese territories. Japan opens up jobs and investments in China, while China provides resources to the country. For the two Koreas, China is the preferred market for South Korea for most of its investments and tourists. North Korea, on the other hand, benefits from China’s exports and investment. Taiwan, despite at odds with China, is the largest investment market of China with nearly $100 billion worth of projects in the mainland .
In the case of the Southeast Asian nations, Yuan (2006) stated that Beijing’s first official contact with the ASEAN had been in 1991 to attend the 24th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which would discuss the situation in the region. China’s assertion in the disputed territories were also discussed each time it attends the meetings of the organization, but most of the discussion is directed to defense, security and economic cooperation that would enable the region to work on improving Asian security. The Chinese had signed the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and the China-ASEAN Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in 2003 to open up cooperation strategies on security issues and joint military exercises and training. In terms of economy, the Chinese-ASEAN relations have benefited immensely given China’s growing economic power. In 2004, ASEAN had received $20 billion trade surplus items from China, sustaining their markets. A free trading area was also created between the countries to deepen trading agreements between nations and open research channels for further development .
China’s rise to power, may it be peaceful or threatening, the United States sees it in two ways. According to Lawrence (2013), the US and China had long shared a bilateral partnership that aids in the status quo in the international community, especially in the Asian region. Both have been trading partners, as well as political allies in several issues discussed in the United Nations. Since China is now at par with the US, especially in terms of economic capability, Washington is now seeking to bolster further cooperation with Beijing to both help in restoring the global economy and aid in topics seen today as high risks such as the case of Iran and North Korea. The US is also working on methods to encourage China to become a prominent actor in the region to support sustainable development and regional security efforts. US policy is also trying to open channels with Beijing in terms of issues such as climate change, and human rights and enable China to partner itself with other nations peacefully. In terms of military issues such as the territorial disputes in Senkaku, Paracels and Spratlys, US policy is concentrated on ensuring that peaceful settlement is attained .
While many are still uncertain as to how to interpret China’s rise to power and the possible implications it may cause, it is visible that its rise to power is a way for China to keep up with the rest of the word despite the challenges it has to face. On the one hand, the rise of power would result into possible conflicts as far as its territorial disputes and political affiliation is concerned. With China mobilizing its forces to protect its “claims” and supporting high risk nations, it may find itself at odds with the international community allied with the United States. On the other hand, however, China’s rise is peaceful as the evidence shows that it is utilizing peaceful means to entice dispute settlement and opening political and economic partnerships between nations. In this end, it would show that China is willing to open up its borders to others, including to the United States and prevent the onset of conflict. While China’s position may still be unclear to many at the present time, the US must still take caution over interpreting China’s actions as it may result into a much complex conflict that would prevent a harmonious relationship between the nations China wishes to make peace with.
Works Cited
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