08/03/2023
Rising China (1)
War is one of the most important activities in human history, especially for those who study in the field of international relations. War creates the greatest change on the international system. In the 20th century, there were many wars between nations around the world. The First World War (1914-1918) resulted in more than 9 million people killed on the European battlefields. The later World War II (1939-1945) resulted in over fifty million people killed, with more than half of the fatalities being civilians. After the two world wars, the world was covered by the Cold War situation, a confrontation between two major powers: the Soviet Union and its allies in the members of the Warsaw Pact, and the United States and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-NATO. The leaders engaged in no direct combat, but perpetuated proxy wars in many parts of the world such as the Korean peninsula, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Angola, and El Salvador and other countries. There were also sub-regional wars, such as the war between the Arab states and Israel, and between Iran and Iraq.
The rise of China is one of the important topics of discussion between scholars in the 20th century to the present. China’s economic growth has a total output reaching US$ 5.88 trillion in 2010, over 16 times that of its growth in 1978, and has risen to 9.3% of the world’s total economic growth from its previous share of 1.8%. The country has also expanded its military influence, increased its energy demands, and engaged in territorial claims with its neighboring countries. These situations have led to questions about the peaceful rise of China. Some scholars perceive that China cannot rise peacefully, while others believe that China will eventually rise to be a peaceful power. Up to today, there has yet to be a consensus among their opinions.
