Chinese history (east asian studies) - Essay Example

number 2. In her book, Susan Shirk argues that Chinese policies are managed with the intention of maintaining a stability that they fear would be lost once they provide laws that are lax and allow an insurrection from inside. Her views are derived from the history that the Chinese government has of suppression of the revolts that have happened in the past. She specifies the effects of the revolt that happened in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, which led to the infamous firing that resulted in the deaths of innumerable men, young and old.

Leaders in China remain worried about this incident, since the possibility of a popular uprising of a similar kind worries them. This could also lead to a schism in the leadership that would be disastrous for the unity of the nation. Shirk points out the parallel in history that worries the Chinese leadership, the breakup of the Soviet Union, which was the result of widespread discontent. Shirk points to the support of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In the absence of this support, the possibility of a similar breakup looms large, that worries the Chinese government, which seeks to prevent it through maintaining an authoritarian regime. 3. The evolution of the Chinese foreign policy is something that has caught the eye of various political thinkers and foreign policy analysts.

The change from a passive approach to one that actively engages in the political affairs of the world in an active manner signals a change of approach that coincides with the entry of China as a superpower in the political arena. It is a change from the erstwhile policy of China that was aimed at attaining the status of a superpower without causing any damage to its internal situation of peace. This shall however, according to analysts around the world, cause a certain kind of conflict between the new and the old power, by which is meant the United States of America and China.

This signals China’s rejection of its earlier status as a soft power, one that was espoused by its earlier leaders like Mao Zedong. This has enabled China to establish better relations with other countries and built a better foreign policy which had suffered after the incident at Tiananmen Square that invited widespread condemnation. Commentators like Evan S. Medeiros see in the increasing number of bilateral relations and the greater level of sophistication that Chinese diplomats display, after the mid-1990s a desire for an assertion of the newfound status of a superpower.

In this, he says, China seeks to move out of its earlier vision of itself, that of a victim of the policies of other nations, an image that was actively espoused by Mao. This transition in China’s foreign policy is reflected in its desire to engage with other nations in a more active manner, as opposed to its earlier, passive approach. 4. The threat that Chinese military forces pose to the world and the United States of America in particular is something that has been analyzed by political analysts around the world.

It has been analyzed that even though the Chinese pose a threat as a result of their ambition, it is not different from the ambition that America displayed during the times when it was an emerging power. Robert Kaplan argues that the effectiveness of the maritime power of America and the diplomatic relations that they have built up with the other countries in the world would enable them to be protected from such a possible attack. The implications of such a possible attack should not be ignored in the backdrop of other threats to security that are faced by the United States of America, like terrorism and other problems that occur in the east, like the attacks that North Korea has been carrying out on South Korea.

Kaplan points out the importance of the maintenance of good ties in the Asian region for America. This has been seen in the close association of America with India in the recent past. Kaplan insists on the need for such measures to keep an emerging China at bay. However, there are also cynics who think that the vast structures of alliances that America has built up would not have survived if they had not had the power to tackle Chinese forces. This offers a counterpoint to the views of thinkers like Kaplan and Aaron L.

Friedberg, who insist on the need to counter thegrowing ambitions of the Chinese nation. Works Cited Kaplan, Robert D. The Geography of Chinese Power. Web. . Accessed on 7th June, 2011. Friedberg, Aaron L.; Ross, Robert S. Here Be Dragons: Is China a Military Threat? Web. http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=22022 Accessed on 7th June, 2011. China: Fragile Superpower: An Interview with IGCC Director Susan Shirk. Web. Accessed on 7th June, 2011. Shirk, Susan L. The political logic of economic reform in China.

London: University of California Press, 1993. Print. Fravel, Taylor M.; Medeiros, Evan S. China’s New Diplomacy. Web. Accessed on 7th June, 2011.