Aspiring to Be a Global Power: China’s Activism in the Global South

Abstract

Market-oriented reforms to the Chinese economy at the end of the 1970s have had far-reaching consequences for China and the rest of the world. In the period since then, China has transformed itself from a poor country into a moderately prosperous nation, providing the attendant economic benefits to its 1.3 billion population and achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals on poverty alleviation ahead of schedule. With its growing economic clout and increasing influence in the world that continues to rise by the day, China’s global presence has unsurprisingly become a source of concern for scholars of international relations and pundits alike as the Asian giant becomes progressively engaged in the international affairs of the day. Clearly, Beijing’s pursuit of good foreign relations via a combination of hard economic and military prowess, in conjunction with soft cultural and diplomatic power, serves to strengthen its political leverage and legitimacy to challenge the extant western-led world order. An assessment of Chinese diplomatic strategy reveals a purposeful attempt at shifting the balance of power in its favor.