Abstract
The unprecedented rise of China in both economic and military sphere has increased the level of attention which the country demands. These developments have also shaped and increased the Chinese presence globally. Today, goods manufactured in China as well as Chinese people (diplomats and tourists) have a global presence. This global presence and reach of China is unavoidable.
With the rise of China, questions related to Chinese behaviour and foreign policy have become primary in the international relations discourse. How China will behave and what makes it behave in a certain way are questions which dominate this discourse. In addition to this, there is also a constant need to understand and follow the Chinese foreign policy manoeuvres. With economic opening up which was adopted under Deng Xiaoping in 1978, China has changed from being an isolated state to one which is highly integrated in the international system. This reform and opening up has also provided China with increased financial and military strength and in the recent years one perceives an increasing assertiveness in the Chinese behaviour both internationally and regionally. This also forces one to question as to whether China will attempt to change the existing global order or will it be happy to play a constructive role.
Keeping the above developments in view the book China Goes Global: The Partial Power by David Shambaugh is a very timely contribution to the existing literature on the subject. The author argues that China should still not be seen as a global power but only as a partial one. According to him,
… it is clear that China’s global presence and reputation is mixed. It remains a long way from becoming a global superpower like the United States (which has comprehensive power and global influence across economic, cultural, diplomatic, security, governance and other realms). Over time [China] may gain these attributes but for the time being China remains very much a partial power. (p. 10)
He further adds that the, ‘China’s global image remains mixed and the majority of the world is very ambivalent about China’s rise’ (p. 12).
The book is divided into eight chapters: (a) ‘Understanding China’ Global Impact’; (b) ‘China’s Global Identities’; (c) ‘China’s Global Diplomatic Presence’; (d) ‘China and Global Governance’; (e) ‘China’s Global Economic Presence’; (f) ‘China’s Global Cultural Presence’; (g) ‘China’s Global Security Presence’ and (h) ‘Coping with a Globalized China’. Each of these chapters discusses in detail the concerned aspect and how with the increasing globalisation of China its response and interaction with the world is changing.
One very important observation which Shambaugh makes is that the Chinese foreign policy is heavily affected by the Chinese domestic situation and developments. (p. 16). While discussing the Chinese diplomatic relations with the world, the author provides the readers with a detailed outline of the Chinese interactions. He concludes this assessment with the observation that China ‘prefers bilateralism to multilateralism’ (p. 120). He also adds that, ‘China finds itself enmeshed in ambivalent and strained relationships’ (p. 120).
While discussing the Chinese role in the global governance the author argues that the general perception within China is that this is another way to hamper the Chinese growth as Beijing needs to focus on its domestic issues rather than contributing to global governance (p. 129). He concludes by saying that, ‘Beijing’s contributions [to the global governance] will likely remain selective and limited’ (p. 155).
The author concludes the discussion on the Chinese economic presence under four different sections. He states that there are ‘four distinct aspects of China’s economic footprint aboard: trade, energy, investment and aid’ (p. 205). He also adds that this is area where China’s ‘global impact is greatest’ (p. 205). The author also adds that even though China has become the second largest economy in the world, its domestic economy is struggling to move higher up the value chain of production. It also faces a number of problems like increasingly employment, maintain the GDP growth and also to expand its international presence (p. 206).
While discussing the Chinese cultural presence the author rightly states that the Chinese government has been working consistently towards improving its global cultural presence. Shambaugh argues that the Chinese government spends about ‘$7 to $10 billion to help build its global cultural image’ (p. 207). After a very detailed discussion over the various aspects by which the Chinese government works towards building a strong soft power or attractive cultural presence, the author concludes that, ‘the nation’s [China] soft power deficit is another indicator that it is a partial power’ (p. 268).
The military development of China is one aspect which greatly concerns the world. It also affects the Chinese relationship with the United States as sharply as it affects Chinese relations with its neighbours. The level of growth and investment which the Chinese military has witnessed makes the world uneasy about China’s ‘rise’. While discussing the Chinese global security presence, Shambaugh lucidly argues that, ‘China has thus far limited its military deployments to China’s own sovereign territory, it Asian maritime littoral, or under international peacekeeping missions in other regions. In other words, the Chinese military has not yet gone global’ (p. 269). The author concludes that, ‘all of China’s involvement in global security will be shaped by its own calculations of national interests (no matter what the inducements and pressure from the international community)’ (p. 306).
In the last chapter, the author sets out to answer questions arising from a globalised China. He questions that ‘What does it mean for the world, and how would the world respond?’ (p. 307). To this question, the author puts forth a very conclusive answer stating that, ‘Since China’s opening to the world in 1978, the world has changed China—and now China is beginning to change the world’ (p. 317). This conclusion clearly highlights the complexity and the magnitude of transformation which the world has witnessed with the rise of China.
One argument which one comes across whenever an attempt to find answers to the ways in which China will interact with the world is its ‘history’. It appears that the Chinese historical experience plays a very important role in determining its current and future policies, both domestically and internationally. In addition to this, it appears that the domestic developments play a very important role in shaping the Chinese policies abroad. In the past few decades, one has also seen that nationalism has been playing a very important role in shaping the Chinese policies.
The book is an important contribution to the existing literature and it will be appreciated equally by students, scholars and policy-makers pursuing the subject.