CHINA’S ROLE IN

INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS

By Gianluca Cianciafara
 • China is the fourth biggest country in the globe and it has
the most populated area with over 1 billion of
inhabitants. It has also the second largest economy
worldwide.

• China is governed by a one-party popular democracy. Its

socialist market with big State control is a sign of how
China runs the country like an authoritarian regime.

• China witnesses lack of free speech, little press freedom

and human rights violations and it wants to regain control
of Taiwan and Hong Kong, much to NGOs complaints.

China’s political regime

 • After WWII the Chinese Communist Party gave birth to the
People’s Republic of China and Mao Zedong became the
first Chinese president in 1949.

• In 1976 President Deng Xiaoping started a series of

economic reforms that brought the rise of Chinese market
socialism and China’s GDP growth.

• The massive economic growth has opened to private

ownership and international trades, WTO entrance (2001),
the promotion of OBOR initiative (2013) etc.

History of China’s progress

 • China started occupying Africa to make sure to keep its
economic growth rate high by exploiting African natural
resources and raw materials.

• China has built infrastructure programmes to maintain its

presence in the continent, making deals with local
governments in exchange of economic support.

• China’s influence is not about direct intervention but it is

presented as a model of development and security, in
contrast to western forms of colonialism.

China’s relationship with Africa

 • China holds 1/5 of US public debt, in fact China supports
US army with military expenditure and this movement of
money creates great economic benefit for US.

• In the last ten years the military gap between US and

China has been decreased. China uses its economic power
to increase its military capacity and defence budget.

• Foreign policy relations are tense because they share the

same sphere of interest in Asia and US wants to prevent
South East Asia countries from China’s influence.

China’s relationship with US

 • In 2001 China proposed SCO, an organization with
military and economic aims and in 2014 it founded AIIB, a
development bank. They both work in Eurasian zone.

• China has recently signed free trade agreements with EU

(CAI) and with ASEAN and Oceania states (RCEP). So China
tends to act as a demand stimulator in global market.

• The outcome of these initiatives is to gain a central role in

these areas. However, China is more willing to become a
regional power, rather than a superpower.

China’s international
institutions and aftermath
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