Will China's Rise Lead to War? - Critical Review

Will China's Rise Lead to War? - Critical Review

Introduction

In the past, the rise of a power in the international system often resulted in large seizures, instability and wars in one way or another, eventually involving the major powers. There is inevitable that it might happen with the rise of China. The possibility of war is sufficiently plausible to consider that the problem. Basically, it's about realizing how to make it more likely the peaceful accommodation of a rising China in the international system and a scenario that is more desirable than a highly destructive war. This paper examines whether China's rise will provoke war with both hegemony.

The rapid economic growth of China and demand for energy has expanded each year, which will be resulting in crisis in the Western resources. As of the end of 2005, Chinese companies control less than 1% of the world's oil production, and this proportion is unlikely to change in the next few years. Minimal compete for resources and the possibility of war, China's efforts to adopt a pragmatic approach to solve the energy differences with the West, and energy conservation or the development of renewable energy cooperation with Europe and the United States or Japan.

Critical Review

If one compare China and the U.S., then a conflict of interest is more than obvious. The United States as the largest and China is now the second-largest economy, have an insatiable hunger for resources, which must inevitably lead to conflicts of interest. China's energy consumption, with its 1.3 billion people and an annual economic growth of around 10%, will rise in the coming years. In the face of a possible exceeded oil peaks, this inevitably means more competition for the security of energy supply. Furthermore, other raw materials such as rare earth metals are becoming increasingly popular and important for high-tech industries of the 21st Century. With the growing economic power of China, the Western criticism of the human rights situation has become quieter.

This is supported also by Gilpins theory of hegemonic wars. According to this theory the aspiring hegemon will challenge the international leadership of the old hegemonic power, just as it is trying to defend his position. In theory, this leads to war, for which there is only little empirical evidence. There were, according to Gilpin in recent history only two hegemonies. Firstly, the British from 1815 to 1939, which ended with the Second World War, and the hegemony of the U.S. after 1945 to date. China might therefore be the nation that could challenge American hegemony and quit.

The balance of terror alone thus appears to be a war seems almost impossible. Although China and U.S., which have about 9,400 nuclear warheads, a nuclear war would mean the end of our civilization. Even a limited conventional war would have disastrous consequences for the entire globe. Unlike the Cold War, this scenario is very unlikely, since only meet economic interests and would not ...