Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

In the past few years, especially after the 2008 global financial crisis, China has become more assertive, not just in its military posture but also in its diplomatic affairs and economic interactions. Despite this rising assertiveness, China’s grand strategy officially remains that of ‘Peaceful Development.’ In consequence, scholars have disagreed about the trajectory of China’s grand strategy in light of its often ambivalent behavior. To explain this ambivalence, this article will take a closer empirical look at  two important developments regarding China’s international affairs: The softening on China’s preoccupation with territorial integrity and sovereignty has been exhibited in taking sides …

In the past few years, China has exhibited a rising assertiveness in international relations, including trade, although its official grand strategy remains "Peaceful Development." Examples of this contradictory trajectory are China's rare earth elements export restrictions (assertive) and the One Belt, One Road initiative (peaceful). This article seeks to establish, on the one hand, whether or not these examples are conforming to or diverging from "Peaceful Development," and therefore actually a manifestation of the alleged rising assertiveness on China's part, and on the other hand, identify the reason why China is acting ambivalently. To accomplish this, this article gives historical-cultural …