Most scholars, analysts, and policymakers have characterized China as a country that operates outside the international community regarding foreign customs or standards. China has been branded as a country that has not fully embraced global norms of conduct and has been known to bring competition to the United States-a country that has dominated over developing countries for several years. The Republic of China is known to fight for developing countries and seeks to influence the World Bank by altering rules that have been set by this international bank. Nonetheless, China’s membership in international bodies and organizations has radically increased as the country has moved from virtual isolation. There has been an increase in the country’s participation rates in global development. In an effort to understand China’s global behavior, Gregory Chin and Alastair Iain Johnston address diffferent approaches that the country has used to make it an international community.
Alastair Iain Johnston defines China as a country that is not fully a participant in “the international community.” In his article ‘ Is China a Status Quo Power,’ Johnston argues that China does not fully approve global norms of conduct that an entirely international community should endorse (Johnston, 2003, p.5). China has also shown dissatisfaction in the international order that the United States established. Johnston analyzes whether China is a status quo based on five main international regimes namely sovereignty, free trade, nonproliferation and arms control, national self-determination, and human rights (Johnston, 2003, p.14). Concerning independence, China is known as a strong supporter of a traditional absolutist notion as it has fought along other developing countries to ensure that there is conservation of power. China has been supportive of developing states in their fight to reaffirm independence and internal sovereignty against challenges that may surface from concepts of human rights, local governance, and humanitarian intervention. These are concepts that some free-thinking republics, non-governmental organizations and international civil society activists push for. In this case, it is evident that China does not entirely approve all the norms and guidelines that are internationally set.
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On the contrary, Chin points out that China has adhered to some global guidelines and customs. Chin (2012) states that China has been able to abide by the international rules and norms that the World Bank has set. The country has encouraged rethinking and adjustment on the World Bank. There was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between China Exim Bank and the World Bank that was signed in 2007, which stated the general principles of the partnership (Chin, 2012 p.222). The banks agreed to promote sustainable economic and or social development in recipient countries by emphasizing on assisting partner countries. The banks decided on helping recipient countries to reach their development goals. Another guiding principle that the two banks agreed on is to aid recipient countries in developing development initiatives. They would then develop measurable outcomes and take proper measures to point out, reduce, and mitigate any potential negative effects that the efforts might have on the environment and the society. It is evident that China has continuously followed the World Bank’s rules as the country also strives to bring more changes to the norms the bank has set.
China has been involved in free trade over the past years. Since the 1970s, China has greatly made a move to support free trade and has since been involved in free trade with different countries in the world. The country’s tariff rate has fallen from more than 40 percent in the year 1993 to somewhat 20 percent in 1997. This can be attributed to the fact that China has become a member of World Organizations Trade (WTO). It is stated that by the year 2004-2005, China’s membership in WTO for industrial products averaged 9.4 percent whereas that of agricultural products averaged 14.5 percent (Johnston, 2003 p.15). China is a member of free trade organizations, and this means that its activities will be monitored closely to point out cases of violations. Being involved in free trade means that the country is continuously supporting globalization. Globalization is an element that has been in the rise as states conduct business beyond international boundaries. Many countries have been consistently eliminating barriers that may limit trade with other nations in a bid to increase free trade. Elimination of trade barriers means that countries are free to import and export goods or establish direct investments. With free trade, the country is able to increase its economic development, increase its capital flow and transparency of economic activities. China’s continuous involvement in economic development has led to an increase in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Free trade in China has led to economic development in the country hence causing a fast rise in the living standards of Chinese citizens.
China is a country that does not have a stable stand about whether it supports or opposes the United States international order. Analysts have argued that China is neither a challenger nor a blind follower of international order that the United States has defined. The country is focused on ensuring that it protects its international interests under the existing global system and norms. It has been argued that China needs to pay attention to assisting in developing international bodies and organizations, especially with great skills. Experts have argued that China can use its membership in international institutions to constrain U.S, behavior instead of using military power. The United States is known for having a strong military force that exceeds that of China, hence dominating several countries with its military. The only way that China can change the power that the U.S. exerts on developing countries is using its international presence and membership to groups. Looking at China’s GDP, the level of the country’s military expenditures are low, and this means that the country’s economy cannot use its military to balance against U.S. power. In this case, China has not made any great attempts to build anti-U.S alliances or challenge U.S. alliances internationally or locally.
Chinese economic development greatly depends on the economic development of other countries. It has been evident that the Chinese economy has been greatly and continuously dependent on the United States since the end of the Cold War ((Johnston, 2003 p.44). In the year 2002, the United States was named as China’s second largest trading partner, with the US having various foreign direct investments in China. Chin points out the fact that China is concerned about how the economy of other countries may affect its economic development as well. For instance, there was concern among Chinese leaders regarding the effects that Japan’s recession may have on the Chinese economy. Besides, American leaders were also worried about the way high public debt and banking insolvency would affect the role that Japan plays in the market and as a source of capital for the economic development of China. This shows the level of dependency that countries have in the business market. Globalization is dominant in the universe as countries as worried about how low levels of economic development will affect their development. China’s continuous economic interdependence on other countries for trade shows that the country is not willing to challenge America because the country considers the economic and social costs of doing so. Therefore, China has been greatly concerned with economic development of other countries as this affects its economy.
On the other hand, Chin clearly brings out the aspect of China’s support for other country’s development and interests. Chin addresses the fact that China has been responsible for funding several projects in Africa and other developing countries. The country has continuously made financial and other contributions to regional development banks in continents such as Asia, America, and Africa (Chin, 2012 p.226). China has continued being a creditor through its partnership with the World Bank. Additionally, China has been able to distribute funds throughout the Global South through its commercial banks. This shows that China is dedicated to supporting other countries’ development goals and interests.
There have been the questions regarding whether China is a status-quo country. Research regarding the country’s membership in World Bank and International Monetary Fund explains that this is China’s global behavior. Chin (2012, p.223) points out that to increase its status quo, China has a lot to learn from the World Bank regarding the steps that it can take to strengthen its aid effectiveness, managerial efficacy, the manner in which it evaluates environmental impacts and mitigation measures for its assistance, and investment projects. The country needs to improve its regional presence and expand its activities to other countries.
There are different reforms that China has made since it became a member of the World Trade Organization. Gregory Chin (2012) and Alastair Iain Johnston (2003 argue that China has used the opportunity of this membership to speak on behalf of “developing country interests.” The country has taken the stand that the benefits of developing countries are different from the interests of advanced economies. Chin and Johnston argue that it is useful to find the advancing relationship between China and the World Bank to determine the extent of the country’s development and involvement in globalization. According to Chin (2012 p.213), Beijing has been silently involved in developing reforms in the World Trade Organization (WTO) after agreeing to this body in December 2011. China has since taken the initiative to introduce proposals aimed at altering and changing some of WTO’s rules, rule-making processes, and procedures of settling disputes. It is evident that China is continuously involved in trying to bring reforms and fighting for interests of developing countries through its membership in international bodies and organizations.
Chin and Johnston both highlight the fact that China has grown beyond “rising” power, and currently has greater influence that it intends to use to reform some international norms and rules. Over the years, the United States has had control over developing countries, and the US has always used its powers for their beneficial gain. China, however, aims at using its potential for the development of these developing countries. China has been greatly involved in making reforms with the aim of benefiting developing countries. The World Bank is the world’s international bank that has fiscal rules which countries are expected to adhere to in reporting their financials. Empirical findings by (Chin, 2012 p.212) show that the Export–Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank), one of China’s authoritative nation policy banks, has been allocated to unite with the World Band to provide donations to developing countries. Therefore, China has used the partnership that its China Exim Bank has with the World Bank to influence fiscal rules.
In conclusion, China’s economy and involvement in international events has been on the rise as Gregory Chin and Alastair Iain Johnston point out. It is evident that China is continuously involved in fighting for the interests of developing countries through involvement in international bodies and organizations such as World Trade Organizations and International Monetary Fund. China Exim Bank and the World Bank have partnered with the aim of providing aid and promoting development in recipient countries globally. However, China has not fully embraced all international rules and norms; hence it has become a challenge to decide its status-quo power. The authors both point out that China is neither a challenger nor a blind-follower of international order that the United States has set.
References
Chin, G. (2012). Two-way socialization: China, the World Bank, and hegemonic weakening. The
Brown Journal of World Affairs , 19 (1), 211-230.
Johnston, A. I. (2003). Is China a status quo power?. International security , 27 (4), 5-56.
