The growth of the Chinese economy has allowed Beijing to gain international clout, making it capable of challenging the existing world order. China’s rise is often seen with a suspicious eye, leading several traditional world leaders to question its intentions. Given China’s expanding footprint in global geopolitics, economics, and technological realms, analysing the doctrine of peaceful rise, provides critical insights into how the nation projects itself as a global leader while managing internal and external pressures. This doctrine plays a pivotal role in shaping global perceptions of China’s growing influence and assessing its diplomatic and military strategies, as well as economic policies.
Zheng Bijian, former vice-president of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is known for coining the notion of peaceful rise during 2002-2007. In his article for Foreign Affairs, he stated that through its achievements, China had taken a new strategic route suiting its national atmosphere while confronting its Century of Humiliation. According to him, this path towards modernisation could be called “the development path to a peaceful rise”.
