Is China is committed to Peaceful development?

China’s rapid development has attracted a lot of international attention in recent years and put it at the centre of global discourses. Apart from admiration of its phenomenon achievements in recent years, the implications of some aspects of its rise have aroused much concern and anxiety. From its expanding political influence and military muscle, to its growing demand for energy, raw materials and natural resources, the international community is keen to see whether china will finally break the historical norm of rising powers.

Historically, great powers emerged out of armed conflicts, political and economic exploitation and domination. A study of recent world powers reveals that they fundamentally challenged the international system and order, amassed weapons and military strength quickly and invaded and occupied their neighbors as part of their bids to become global superpowers. The current global superpower, the United States of America initially sought to engage with the world economically and exercised military restraint as well as resisting calls to take on leadership responsibilities until it was forced to do so at the onset of the Second World War. This state of affairs has led many to believe that peaceful rise is unattainable in a world of conflict.

“Peaceful rise” is one of the first new foreign policy concepts to be introduced by President Hu Jintao during his administration. China has declared to the international community that it seeks a path of peaceful development and is committed to the establishment of a harmonious world. It is relentlessly advocating harmony between states and this policy has become a central feature of Chinese foreign Policy.

China as a country has suffered the bitter experience and suffering from war at the hands of former powers. It understands that that kind of rise is not sustainable because the current international environment more interconnected and one country cannot develop at the expense of the rest. Both China’s domestic and international environments and the development trend favor peaceful development and therefore, it remains China’s natural choice proceeding from her own vital interests to the common interests of the international community.

China seems to have diverted from the historical path of turbulent rise in power and is steering a new course that is set to transform how rising powers engage with the rest of the world. It is determined to pursue its national interests without precipitating hostilities with other major powers, its neighbors or with its competitors. While acknowledging that competitions and conflicts will always be there in International relations, China emphasizes that each country should draw on other’s merits to offset its own weakness through fair competition, finding opportunities for cooperation, expanding areas of cooperation, and improving common interests. China uses cooperation as a way to pursue peace, promote development and settle disputes.

China diplomacy has transformed a great deal as it advocates harmony between countries and people across the globe. This transformation has been commensurate with China’s power reemergence and is guided by the cultural richness of Confucianism. Peaceful development is deeply rooted in Chinese culture since harmony is the greatest goal of Confucianism. Confucianism focuses on upholding of righteousness and the moral obligation to do good to others and how to act within a community. It promotes the virtue of humaneness and this is best expressed by the ethic of reciprocity, or the golden rule “Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you."

By upholding these values, China could achieve peaceful development and transcend the historical ways for great powers to rise. It does not wish to overturn the international order as its leaders understand that their success depends on how well they relate and network with the international community. Only when common development of all countries is realized and more people share the fruits of development, can world peace and stability have a solid foundation and be effectively guaranteed.

China has not only made assurances and pledges when it comes to its pursuit of development. It has taken positive steps to promote and safeguard world peace and address the challenges. It is the only nuclear-weapon country that has publicly stated that it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons, or use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. It has called for settling disputes over territory and maritime rights and interests with neighboring countries through dialogue and negotiation, and called for resolving the Korean nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue and other disagreements through peaceful talks.

As China strives to create a peaceful and stable environment for its development, it is also promoting a global environment of peace, stability, equality, mutual trust, cooperation and mutual benefit. Peace and development is currently the global trend in international relations and by conforming to this trend, China is confident that it will achieve its goal off sharing development opportunities through a harmonious world.