Chinese Syndrome

Throughout the past three decades, East Asia has seen more peace and stability than at any time since the Opium Wars of 1839-41. During this period, China has rapidly emerged as a major regional power, averaging over 9% economic growth per year since the introduction of its market reforms in 1978.

Foreign businesses have flocked to invest in China, and Chinese exports have begun to flood the world. China is modernising its military, has joined numerous regional and international institutions, and plays an increasingly visible role in international politics. In response to this growth, other states in East Asia have moved to strengthen their military, economic and diplomatic relations with China.

But why have these countries accommodated rather than balanced China’s rise?… Research shows how East Asian states have grown closer to China, with little evidence that the region is rupturing.


Rising powers present opportunities as well as threats, and the economic benefits and military threat China poses for its regional neighbours are both potentially huge; however, East Asian states see substantially more advantage than danger in China’s rise, making the region more stable, not less.… They believe that a strong China stabilises East Asia.…

From “China Rising: Peace, Power and Order in East Asia”