ABSTRACT
The abrupt rise of China has challenged the existing international order, not by really changing the geopolitical landscape, but by mere economics redefining state-to-state relations. The international community has paid greater attention to the model China has been adopting to become a great power. Deng Xiaoping, the leader widely acknowledged as the architect of China’s rise, reoriented the path of China’s development and laid the foundation for its active engagement with the outside world. This was a clear break from Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai’s principal stand of ‘war and revolution’ and countering all imperialist forces. Today, the global concerns are high relating to China’s international standing and the probable change in international order. The path China chose for diplomatic engagements was not without a heated debate within China. The rise of President Xi Jinping and the recent assertive posture of China on various bilateral disputes have led to increasing focus on the future course and position of China. There is a serious discourse on the role, position, and path China adopts to continue to rise. The global narrative of multipolarity also has resonance within China. Yet, the focus remains on the West propagating the hegemonic position China is likely to take, while the Chinese have all along defied hegemony and hegemonic powers. This unfolds a plethora of issues, broadly as to what is China’s current position and will there be a change in its foreign policy. Will China share global leading position with the US or replace the US? What are the possible future powers, and what is the probability of power sharing among rising powers along with China? In the current global scenario and China’s regional status, it is unlikely that China will become a hegemonic power, but there are possibilities of a new kind of great power relations reshaping world order. The chapter looks at the various internal debates with regard to China’s foreign policy orientation and the direction in which the discourse will reshape Chinese foreign policy making.
