Implications of China’s Rise: A Liberalist Perspective

The biggest debate in the last decade has been how a rising China will affect the world order. Some have said China will seek to overhaul the system as it is (revisionist) while others have argued that China has thrived under the current system therefore it would be foolhardy to overhaul a system that has led to her rise. Revisionist or status quo, what has come to the fore and especially with the rise of Donald Trump, China’s rise has a lot of implications. This paper seeks to employ liberalist thoughts to add into the debate. We argue that, China will seek to gain more say in global issues within the realm of institutions and not direct hard power. Completion will be there, but with rules governed by institutions, hence China will seek to use and shape these rules to better her position