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Red and Blue: China’s Evolving United Nations Peacekeeping Policies and Soft Power Development

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Asia-Pacific Nations in International Peace Support and Stability Operations

Part of the book series: Asia Today ((ASIAT))

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Abstract

Since the turn of the century, much of the international focus on China’s rapid rise in economic, political, and strategic power has been centered on the concept of hard power development, meaning the power of coercion via potential force or reward. However, the role of soft power (ruan shili) in Beijing’s expanded global interests has also received a great deal of attention, generating considerable debate. Indeed, the idea of soft power has become increasingly intertwined with the desire of the Chinese government under then incoming president Hu Jintao to promote “peaceful rise” (and shortly thereafter, the modified and more politically palatable concept of “peaceful development”) on the international level. As the country under Hu began to expand its interests further outside of the Asia-Pacific region, the government sought to dispel concerns that China was seeking to challenge the status quo as so many other developing great powers, including the United States, had done in the past. Instead, China proposed a “rise,” which respected the post-Cold War international system and stressed cooperation over conflict.

The Governor of She asked about government.

The Master said, “Ensure that those who are near are pleased and those who are far away are attracted.”

—Confucius (The Analects, Book XIII: 16)

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  1. Marc Lanteigne
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan

    Chiyuki Aoi (Professor of International Politics) (Professor of International Politics)

  2. Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore

    Yee-Kuang Heng (Associate Professor of International Relations and Assistant Dean (Research) (Associate Professor of International Relations and Assistant Dean (Research)

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© 2014 Chiyuki Aoi and Yee-Kuang Heng

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Lanteigne, M. (2014). Red and Blue: China’s Evolving United Nations Peacekeeping Policies and Soft Power Development. In: Aoi, C., Heng, YK. (eds) Asia-Pacific Nations in International Peace Support and Stability Operations. Asia Today. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137366955_5

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