In today’s world, the concept of comprehensive national power has been extended to include:
‘hard power’, including population, land, natural resources, military forces, and so on
‘soft power’, including appeal to, cohesion and charm of civilisations and cultures, especially image, concepts of value, political stability and ‘correct’ policies of countries
bonding power, including the capabilities of economics and trade to spur economic interdependence between countries
creative power, including creative capabilities such as science, culture, management and the mechanisms and systems of countries
national will power, including capabilities for strategic decision making and determination to pursue national strategies.
From 1949 to the 1970s, China was outside the international system and even acted as a revolutionary against it. Since the beginning of China’s reform and openness in the 1980s, it has gradually integrated itself into the current international economic and security system. Especially since late 1990s, China has been a responsible power in the international system. On 20 April 2006, US President George W. Bush said, ‘We welcome the rise of a peaceful and prosperous China, which is also supportive of the international system. As the stakeholders of the international system, our two countries share many common strategic interests.’ [5] China would like to continue its role as a responsible stakeholder. From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, China said that it favoured establishing a new international political and economic order that was fair and rational. Now China stresses that it stands for pushing the international order towards fairness and rationality.
The United Nations is still the core of the current international system. China will play a more positive and active role in the UN Security Council in the future, and will support the reform and strengthening of this core institution.
China’s role in the UN Security Council in the future will be governed by the following principles:
China will play its role in international society not only according to its national interests, but in order to benefit regional and world peace, development, stability and prosperity
China will respond to its international obligations positively and actively
China will provide public goods in international and regional affairs.
Since the end of the Cold War, and especially since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, there have been some new developments in the international strategic situation. First, non-state actors challenging sovereign states have become important factors, in which terrorism is the most salient threat in the international security and political fields. Second, non-traditional security problems, especially terrorism and the proliferation of WMD, have posed an increasingly serious threat to international society. Third, asymmetrical war has become one of the main forms of warfare. The conflict in Afghanistan between the coalition forces led by the United States and the Taliban along with al Qaeda and the Iraq war are examples of such asymmetrical war. The new developments in the international strategic situation have spurred the major powers to strengthen their cooperation to deal with the new threats and challenges.
The new framework for strategic cooperation and stability between the major powers in the twenty-first century should be established on a new theoretical foundation. At present, the international security situation is undergoing deep changes. The scope of security has been enlarged to encompass not only military issues, but those related to politics, economics, finance, science and technology, culture, and so on. The common interests between countries in the security field have greatly increased, and the interdependence between countries has been strengthened. The models of interaction between countries in the security field are also changing, turning from the original ‘zero-sum’ games to ‘win-win’ or ‘win-win-win’ models. Military means are not enough for dealing with varied security challenges, so it will be necessary to have new means and concepts to maintain stability and peace and to prevent nuclear proliferation.
The trend of globalisation has been imposing great pressure on the international system and has spurred potentially significant changes. The international system includes four major parts: major international actors, the international power structure, international regulation of interaction, and international institutions. In recent years, with the development of economic globalisation, multipolarisation and the democratisation of international relations, the four parts have been in transformation.
Although nation-states are still the major international actors, many non-state international actors have been greatly increasing their influence, including international intergovernmental organisations, transnational corporations and international non-governmental organisations. International terrorist organisations, such as al Qaeda, are also important international actors. These new non-state international actors have caused the diversification of the major international actors. On the one hand, new non-state international actors have offered new challenges to states and sovereignty, and international terrorist organisations have posed serious threats to international security and stability. On the other hand, new non-state international actors have also provided new opportunities for the international community. For example, international intergovernmental organisations have contributed to international and regional cooperation, and transnational corporations have been contributing to international trade and investment.
Since the end of the Cold War, the international power structure has been in significant and profound transformation. We should examine its evolution during the era of globalisation from a number of angles. On the whole, the international power structure has been trending towards multipolarity. In the world economy, the structural concept of a ‘centre margin’ has given way to the notion of ‘tectonic plates’. The centre of gravity of world politics and economics has been shifting from the Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific area.
New thinking on international relations and new regulation of interactions, such as win-win or win-win-win models and the new security concepts, have been developing and colliding with the Cold War mentality and old thinking, such as zero-sum games, which run counter to current international trends. The results of these collisions will have important effects on the transformation of the international system.
International institutions have also been undergoing reform.
[5] Speech by US President, George W. Bush, at the ceremony welcoming Chinese President, Hu Jintao, to the White House, 20 April 2006 (People’s Daily, Beijing, 21 April 2006, p. 1).