The Grand Strategy of Xi Jinping's China (original) (raw)

Questioning the Reality of China's Grand Strategy

China an Inter, 2014

China’s contemporary leadership does not have a “grand strategy” for the 21st century and it is unlikely that the new leaders, who came into power in 2012–13, will be able to craft one. This is a viewpoint that goes against the established truth about China’s comeback as a great power in the international arena. China observers concur and to some extent admire the Chinese leadership’s ability to think long term and commitment to patiently work towards the realisation of a grand vision for the “Middle Kingdom”. There is, undoubtedly, a great deal of strategic thinking going on in China, but it has not been translated into any coherent strategy. Today’s Chinese leaders are pragmatists, seeing and seizing every opportunity that arises without a binding plan. They are also introverted, however, and forced to engage in short-term fire-fighting rather than think long term.

Grand Strategy and peripheral politics of China

Danner (2018) defines a Grand Strategy as the general, long-term security and foreign policies of a territorial state. Grand strategy attends to the national interests of a state through the use of all means of statecraft available or at the disposal of a country, namely, economic, military, diplomatic, political, financial, and informational tools. With 14 neighbours weak, strong, friendly and hostile, China was always marked to find a hard time in conjuring up a grand strategy. Does China have one? Can it have one? Should it have one?

From Great Power to Hegemon: China's Strategic Planning in the New Century

Thammasat Review, 2019

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.

China’s Grand Strategy in the Asia-Pacific Region: An English School Perspective

Margalla Papers

Grand Strategy determines the ultimate goals and interests of a state. It has long-term effects on state policies. With the advent of the 21st century, China has emerged as a regional and global power. After entering the new era of development, China set specific goals and decided to achieve them, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. These goals are to convert China into a prosperous society, increase per capita income at par with developed states and realize modernization. In 2013, Xi Jinping announced China’s Grand Strategy, while stating that the period extended to 2020 (and beyond) is the era of strategic opportunity for China. This article discusses China’s Grand Strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. First, it conceptualizes Chinese strategy by focusing on its main objectives and interests. Secondly, it analyses its components while identifying how China is utilizing its economic, political, diplomatic, and security means to secure its interests in the region and maintain regi...