The dragon spreads its wings: China is balancing between rival powers to expand its influence — The Insider

According to political scientist Rush Doshi, China pursues a long-term strategy in international politics aimed at displacing the United States from the regional and global. Ultimately, Beijing seeks to become the power that shapes the world’s destiny. Similarly, international relations scholar Oriana Skylar Mastro argues that China uses its “agents of chaos” – Iran, Russia, and North Korea – to create problems for the U.S. and its allies. In her view, these actions weaken Washington’s power by diverting its attention and resources.

However, China rarely opts for direct confrontation with the West. The logic behind its foreign policy is best described by the Chinese concept of relationality, which contrasts with the emphasis that the Western school of international relations places on the rational calculations of individual states and their national interests. According to relationality proponent Qin Yaqing, China views the world not through the prism of individual countries’ interests but through the relationships that are constantly evolving among the participants in global politics. From the Chinese perspective, relations between states should be maintained despite disagreements. When conflicts arise, they should be contained in order to minimize the damage to those relationships. 

Closely linked to relationality is another important concept in Chinese foreign policy: the principle of peaceful coexistence. Formulated by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai as early as 1954, this principle includes mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, noninterference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.

Beijing invokes these principles when commenting on international conflicts as well. In doing so, China demonstrates its willingness not to intervene directly in other countries’ disputes while at the same time demanding the same treatment for itself. This approach allows it to maintain relations with all sides even in tense situations.

Yet it would be inaccurate to portray Chinese foreign policy exclusively in pacifist terms. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, there have been numerous instances when the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-aggression gave way to military force. This was the case, for example, during the invasion of Vietnam in 1979 and the armed clashes with India along the disputed border in 1962. During the Maoist period, Beijing also actively interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, supporting communist insurgencies in the so-called Third World.

After the launch of the reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s, the Chinese authorities no longer took such overtly adventurous steps, instead favoring gray-zone tactics, economic pressure, and diplomacy. Strategically, if China were to behave the way it alleges the U.S. does, Beijing would lose an important advantage: its image as a restrained and “constructive” player. For this reason, China generally adheres to the fundamental principles of its foreign policy, but it is nevertheless prepared to selectively depart from them when its core interests are threatened.

This combination of factors – the primacy of interests, a focus on relationships, and a desire to play a greater role in global affairs – allows China to take a flexible approach to conflicts. Chinese diplomatic strategy is thus aimed at building the desired type of relations with other countries while strengthening China’s image as a defender of peace. Beijing does not always succeed in this, however, and calls for peace are sometimes replaced by shows of force.