Why China’s Rise Isn’t a Threat
Despite political polarization in the US, a rare consensus has formed there around hawkish views on China as the biggest strategic enemy of the country and the liberal international order more broadly. David Daokui Li, educated in the US and a longtime professor at Tsinghua University, argues otherwise. The rise of China is not a threat, he argues, providing in support a detailed look at the inner workings of its political and economic systems.
His argument is neatly summed up in four points. China’s rise won’t cause a war with the US, because it has not taken the same path as Western powers in their rise, so predictions of a Sino-american war based on Western history (the so-called Thucydides trap) don’t apply. Second, people in the US and the wider world benefit from three important factors: the enlarged size of the world’s markets, the benefits of low-cost Chinese production, and the increased job and career opportunities for people outside China. Third, China’s rise will bring more global public goods such as faster progress in science and technology, space exploration, peacekeeping in war-torn regions and a more effective fight against climate change. Finally, it will raise the pressure of competition and therefore push many countries, including the US, to spend more on science, technology, and education, which is beneficial for them. With these arguments, Li underscores the importance of clearing up misunderstandings and anxieties about China in the West. Reviewed by Taehwan Kim, Honorary Professor at The Korea National Diplomatic Academy and Associate Managing Editor of Global Asia.