Impacts of China's rise to power on the security dimension of international relations

The world order is determined by the character of its constituents, their importance and their mutual relations. The position of respective constituents is, however, subject to constant changes which, by implication, transform the whole order. Such changes could have significant impacts on security. The current system of international relations is fundamentally affected by the rise of China. China gradually strenghtens its postition and becomes more and more involved in international affairs. This thesis, therefore, intends to identify impacts of China's rise on the security dimension of international relations. The opening part aims to define security dimensions. The following part adresses the characteristic of Chinese foreign policy which determines China's international behaviour. The closing part analyzes concrete impacts concerning military, political, economic, environmental, social and cultural, energetic, technological and infrastructural security. The author attempts to anticipate a theoretical development of the international system that could take place in the first half of the 21st century