ABSTRACT
Official statements emanating from Beijing over the past two decades reflect a widening in the scope of China’s strategic discourse. Traditional security issues in conventional military terms have clearly been added to by the identification of social, economic and environmental threats, with Chinese interests today ranging between such diverse issue-areas as Sino-Western engagement, terrorism, health and development. Indeed, Beijing now faces opportunities and challenges far more varied than those of just two or three decades ago: some the culmination of national policies, such as ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ (juyou Zhongguo tese de shehuizheyi); others affected by global contexts, such as regionalization or the global response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. In this context, given its growing political, military and economic clout in the post-Cold War era, China has become more adaptable and flexible in terms of strategic behaviour. Over the past decade, for instance, Chinese participation in UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKO) has increased significantly; in 2001, China co-founded the multilateral Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) with Central Asian states over mutual security and developmental concerns; and, in 2003, China acquired partner status to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the basis of substantial regional economic ties. China today has undoubtedly changed considerably from the insular and enigmatic power witnessed during the Cold War.
