The World Needs an Assertive China
Thomas J. Christensen, Foreign Affairs | February 22, 2011
Beijing's current departure from its peaceful rise strategy as seen by its attitude toward internet freedom, Tibet and Taiwan, has damaged relations with the US. ++ This attitude is not "assertive", but rather reactive and conservative. ++ Prior to the financial crisis, China was on the right path, engaging positively and constructively in Darfur and the Gulf of Aden. ++ The more abrasive policies we are seeing now are driven by domestic strategists, who have overestimated China's standing and America's perceived weakness on the world stage.
