China's Emerging Global Role: Dissatisfied Responsible Great Power

Abstract

China has (re-)emerged as a great power in a world not of its own making. The distribution of power in major organisations and the dominant norms of international interactions are deemed to favour unfairly the existing Western powers, and at times obstruct China's ability to meet national development goals. Nevertheless, engaging the global economy has been a key source of economic growth (thus helping to maintain regime stability), and establishing China's credentials as a responsible global actor is seen as a means of ensuring continued access to what China needs. As an emerging great power which is also still in many respects a developing country, China's challenge is to change the global order in ways that do not cause global instability or generate crises that would damage China's own ability to generate economic growth and ensure political stability.