Is the world turning its back on the West?
The seeds of the shifting from Pax Americana to Sinica seem to be sown, and this article asks, ‘How would China’s global influence manifest itself? How would Chinese hegemony differ from the American variety?’
Are we witnessing the emergence of Fishman’s Chinese century and the Beijing Consensus? If so, how did that happen? How will China drive the world forward if this unipolar scenario unfolds?
I found this article interesting on two fronts.
First, it identifies the pattern that the Chinese have not tried to change the world, but adjusting and finding the middle path to prosper seems the norm. This suggests that the peaceful development aspect of China’s ascension may not be remote.
Second, China’s current success can be partially attributed to lessons from its 40 million strong diaspora which only twenty years ago made as much money as China’s entire internal population. Its comparison of the US as a nation of immigrants and not emigrates does drive home a useful point – maybe the Chinese are not so insular after all. Outright domination may not be the name of their game, but gaining through assimilation seems to fit the description.
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When China drives the world
By Ivan Krastev
Source – Straits Times, published December 30, 2011
FOR a European these days, thinking about the future is disturbing. America is militarily overstretched, politically polarized, and financially indebted. The European Union seems on the brink of collapse, and many non-Europeans view the old continent as a retired power that can still impress the world with its good manners, but not with nerve or ambition.
Global opinion surveys over the last three years consistently indicate that many are turning their backs on the West and – with hope, fear, or both – see China as moving to centre stage. As the old joke goes, optimists are learning to speak Chinese; pessimists are learning to use a Kalashnikov.
While a small army of experts argue that China’s rise to power should not be assumed, and that its economic, political, and demographic foundations are fragile, the conventional wisdom is that China’s power is growing. Many wonder what a global Pax Sinica might look like: How would China’s global influence manifest itself? How would Chinese hegemony differ from the American variety? Read the rest of this entry »
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