China's Grand Strategy?: An Analysis of Chinese Foreign Policy in the Age of Globalization

China 's impressive economic growth during the past quarter of a century has triggered the notion of ?the rise of China?, and the idea that it is somehow destined to become a superpower. Observers of this development are divided in their views of how to perceive China. Basically, there are those that are purely positive and see great opportunities in the rise of China, and those that are more sceptical and suspicious and consider China more of a threat. Within this context, the interest for Chinese foreign policy has grown rapidly. This paper aims to determine how Chinese foreign policy can be understood in relation to ?classical? strategies used by countries in global politics, and if these sets of policies in fact constitute a coherent long term grand strategy, as has been suggested by various scholars. The findings point in the direction that there in fact is no conclusive evidence that there exists a Chinese ?grand strategy?. However, it seems Chinese foreign policy today contains a deliberate strategy of so called soft power, that is a charm offensive with the aim of making other countries want the same outcome as China