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Understanding China’s New Assertiveness - A Dyadic Study of China’s Rise, its Goals and Implications

Rudberg, Vilhelm LU (2014) STVM25 20141
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Since the financial crisis in 2008-2009 China has shown a new assertiveness internationally, contradicting Deng Xiaoping’s earlier strategies of China to lay low internationally and develop economically. This new assertiveness is an often-discussed subject and is often connected to the Chinese rise and a presumed pursuit of regional hegemony in South East Asia, rejected by Chinese officials. This paper aims on studying China’s new assertiveness on both a systemic international politics level and on foreign policy level to understand what drives this new assertiveness. Graham T. Allison used three explanatory models to examine the decision-making during the Cuban Missile Crises, and I have adapted his three models to China’s behaviour in... (More)
Since the financial crisis in 2008-2009 China has shown a new assertiveness internationally, contradicting Deng Xiaoping’s earlier strategies of China to lay low internationally and develop economically. This new assertiveness is an often-discussed subject and is often connected to the Chinese rise and a presumed pursuit of regional hegemony in South East Asia, rejected by Chinese officials. This paper aims on studying China’s new assertiveness on both a systemic international politics level and on foreign policy level to understand what drives this new assertiveness. Graham T. Allison used three explanatory models to examine the decision-making during the Cuban Missile Crises, and I have adapted his three models to China’s behaviour in South East Asia and complemented them with e.g. factors that affect decision-making and contemporary theories of hegemony. Using this method gave me the opportunity to challenge the notion of a Chinese pursuit of hegemony since the case of China contained several anomalies compared to the theoretical framework, which instead points to an All-under-Heaven system emphasized by Chinese officials and scholars. The new assertiveness is explained mainly trough enhanced militarism, PLA influence and capacity, kept non-confrontational through e.g. Confucianism and Deng-ist advocates. (Less)
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author
Rudberg, Vilhelm LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM25 20141
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
China, China’s peaceful rise, Non-Confrontational Assertiveness, All-under-Heaven, Graham T. Allison, South China Sea, Hegemony, Chinese Foreign Policy
language
English
id
4448152
date added to LUP
2014-07-07 14:46:33
date last changed
2014-07-07 14:46:33
@misc{4448152,
  abstract     = {{Since the financial crisis in 2008-2009 China has shown a new assertiveness internationally, contradicting Deng Xiaoping’s earlier strategies of China to lay low internationally and develop economically. This new assertiveness is an often-discussed subject and is often connected to the Chinese rise and a presumed pursuit of regional hegemony in South East Asia, rejected by Chinese officials. This paper aims on studying China’s new assertiveness on both a systemic international politics level and on foreign policy level to understand what drives this new assertiveness. Graham T. Allison used three explanatory models to examine the decision-making during the Cuban Missile Crises, and I have adapted his three models to China’s behaviour in South East Asia and complemented them with e.g. factors that affect decision-making and contemporary theories of hegemony. Using this method gave me the opportunity to challenge the notion of a Chinese pursuit of hegemony since the case of China contained several anomalies compared to the theoretical framework, which instead points to an All-under-Heaven system emphasized by Chinese officials and scholars. The new assertiveness is explained mainly trough enhanced militarism, PLA influence and capacity, kept non-confrontational through e.g. Confucianism and Deng-ist advocates.}},
  author       = {{Rudberg, Vilhelm}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Understanding China’s New Assertiveness - A Dyadic Study of China’s Rise, its Goals and Implications}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}