ABSTRACT
Chinese leaders began promoting the idea of "peaceful rise" or "peaceful development" in 2002 . 1 Their targeted audience is clearly those who advocate the "China threat theory." The intention is to calm the uneasiness shared by many Western nations over China's fast re-emergence as a great power. The supporters of the China threat theory have argued that China's rise as a non-democratic or an illiberal "communist" regime poses political, military, and economic threats to the status quo of the liberal world order.2 The proponents of the peaceful rise theory dispute the claim that China is a threat, and insist that China's goal is to integrate with rather than isolate from or confront the existing liberal economic system. China's goal is to become a partner for peace and a force for continuity rather than a force of instability. According to this theory, China has no need to challenge the existing world system; rather, its own national interests will lead China to become an active participant in the on-going economic globalization. Indeed, China has openly welcomed the new expression used in describing China's new role coined by Robert Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States, namely, a "responsible stakeholder. " 3
But the world cannot simply bet on China's promise, as Zoellick also cautiously pointed out. To many China watchers, China needs to take concrete actions to
* The author wishes to thank Douglas Reynolds, Andrew J. Waskey and He Li for their comments made on earlier drafts of this chapter.
