China's Rising Power in Contemporary International Relations (Case Study)

This Master 's thesis focuses on the rising power of China in contemporary international relations. The rise of China faces the post-Cold-War international system with one of the most significant changes in power distribution; as such, it is of significant importance for the entire field of international relations. The thesis aims to evaluate the Chinese rise to power, and determine whether the country should be considered a great power affecting the international system. To achieve this goal, the author performs a two-level analysis based on the theory of realism, which first analyzes China's position as a state and then its impact on the international system. The thesis is divided into six chapters. The first one sets the theoretical framework. Chapters two to five look into China's position of power in the military, economic, political and socio-environmental dimension. The sixth chapter analyzes the influence of China on the international system in the case study of the current China-U.S. relations. The thesis concludes that China could be considered a great power, but only a partial one with a limited impact on the international system