Ensuring that China Rises Peacefully

China's recent feisty rhetoric and behaviour have unnerved its neighbours as well as nations far from its borders. Beijing's protests that China is simply responding to provocations by other countries are not convincing. For over a decade, China has made efforts to reassure an anxious world that its rise would be peaceful, and with considerable success. Many of its border disputes were settled and China's booming economy provided abundant benefits for the region, including an export market, a source of tourists, investment opportunities and demand for services.

The spate of China's recent assertive actions, however, has undermined Chinese interests and violated Confucius's counsel: do not do to others that which we do not want them to do to us. The United States, however, is now pushing back against China's assertiveness. This is necessary to persuade Beijing to adopt a more prudent and accommodating posture.