China’s peaceful rising, a concept originated from 2003, was acclaimed by both the central government and scholars. The core of “peaceful rising” is that China rises not only as a regional power but as a power that plays an increasingly important role throughout the globe without resorting to warfare or force.
China’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has secured China as the top five economic power by 2003, which contributed a lot to obvious positive predictions of many scholars. Wang Jianmin, in China.org.cn summarized China’s advantages as: abundant labor force, cheap land cost, huge in-flow of foreign investment, establishment of status as a world trade power, development of technology and China’s investment to foreign countries. Wang argued that Japan would give its place as an Asian economic power to China and China’s rising would not sacrifice other countries’ interests, which would let eventual solution to Taiwan issue.
Prof. Yan Xuetong, an alumni of Berkeley at Tsinghua University, argued that “peaceful rising” was conditional: 1, China has the ability to let others accept its peaceful rising; 2, China can rise without war; 3, In the process of rising, war is not necessary to sustain the nation’s existence. Rather than no use of force, Yan defined “peace” as no war, in which a non-war-and-non-peace state were belonging to category of “peace”. Yan advocated China should 1, play a more active role; 2, adopt a foreign policy from “merging into the international community” to “shoulder more international responsibility”; 3, divert foreign policy to be more oriented toward the country’s comprehensive interests rather than solely oriented toward economic interests.
On the contrary, Prof. Pan Wei, another alumni of Berkeley at Beijing University, argued that “peaceful rising” never occurred in the world. Pan argued that “rising” was only a relative concept. China has long risen as a regional power and it’s not realistic to be on an equal footing with America. Domestically, China was facing tough problems; internationally, China should maintain sovereignty over Hong Kong and Taiwan in case of a territory loss. The mid-term goal should be ameliorating surrounding environment to prevent them being in other countries’ orbit. Pan maintained that peace was only a wish; law of the jungle was the fact. The only possibility of “peaceful rising” was that former hegemonic power committed suicide, which was not likely throughout the history. Other powers would not allow China to rise but try to “murder” China as even a regional power. Pan advocated that China possesses a powerful military machine not for “rising” but for peace. What China needs is not reverie of “peaceful rising” but “throw away illusion, prepare to contend”.
