For the promoters and supporters of the global liberal order, the rise of China seems
to have been identified as the single biggest challenge – more so even than global
economic chaos. So before outlining in more detail the understanding of a ‘dissatisfied
responsible great power’, and what exactly China wants to change, this article
first establishes why it is that China seems to be such a source of concern. The
answer is found partly in the simple speed and scale of change in China in the
post-Cold War era; change that has had unintentional consequences for the rest of
the world. But it also goes beyond just the practical and real impact of China’s rise
into a more deep-seated mistrust of China’s long-term objectives, and the values
and belief systems that underpin these aspirations. In short, no matter what China’s
leaders might say, some in the West remain convinced that China aims to shift not
just the global balance of power but also the way in which international interactions
occur and are governed as soon as it is in a position to do so