China’s Search for Acceptance
Abstract
China’s entry into the prestigious World Trade Organisation (WTO) is one of the latest examples of China’s efforts to further enhance its international reputation by becoming a major player in the economic world and a more integral part of the international community. As China plays a more active role in the global arena, China’s increasing economic growth cannot help but further advance its economic and political clout. Obviously Chinese leaders have long recognised this fact of international life and have embarked on an ambitious programme to enhance its economic and political power. China, by virtue of its P-5 status on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, already has some of the trappings of a great power; but heretofore, their power has been used mainly in a negative sense--to prevent certain UN actions from taking place.
In today’s interconnected and interdependent world, issues that previously were constrained within the domestic sphere of a sovereign state such as human rights and governance are increasingly being considered as global issues. In the eyes of the developed world, these are the two areas in which China does not have a very good track record. Therefore, China now finds itself on the horns of a dilemma. On one hand, as they embrace new standards of conduct and criteria for membership in the international community, if history is any judge, their grip over the Chinese masses will loosen. If so, loss of control and collapse of the communist government may follow. On the other hand, if they do not embrace the new standards of world conduct, they may limit their economic growth rate and social acceptance.
In any case, in today’s open communications environment, the Chinese government may not be able to constrain its growing affluent and educated masses desire for more personal liberty and autonomy. Consequently, China may find, as all cultures through history have shown, that change is inevitable. Cultures either change through evolution or are destroyed in revolution. For most in China, the Great Leap Forward was a traumatic exercise in revolutionary change; therefore, joining the international community is probably viewed as the lesser evil. To integrate successfully into the international society, China will have to improve its human rights conditions and governance. As will be explained later, status or international respect is one of its three interrelated goals of Chinese foreign policy. Thus, China will continue doing what it can to preserve and enhance its great power status while maintaining the communist political power structure.
Two questions come to mind: To what extent has China already integrated into the international community? And, how is it responding to foreign pressures to improve on its protection and promotion of human rights record within China in order to be regarded as a responsible nation? An attempt to establish that international status or prestige is one of the goals of Chinese foreign policy is a central to this article. Further rapid economic development and modernisation of China is seen as the means to the desired ends of achieving enhanced status and international respect.
The new criteria for membership of the international community will be defined and steps taken by China to attempt to measure up to the new criteria will be discussed. It will also be pointed out that China has, in fact, made improvements and complied, at least superficially, with a number of regulations that have been set forth by the other major powers. This article will conclude that because of China’s concern for sovereignty, it cannot yet be considered fully integrated because Taiwan will remain a major problem areas as long as that issue is not peacefully resolved.
