China's potential as a world power

Jonathan D. Pollack

Expert InsightsPublished 1980

Addresses three principal concerns: (1) What are the available criteria for determining the appropriateness of labeling the People's Republic of China (PRC) a present or future superpower? (2) Does the PRC's past behavior or official assessments of the international situation offer guidance about China's future international role? (3) Will the PRC adopt an increasingly expansive conception of its security and foreign policy interests? The author assesses the potential effect on international politics if the PRC becomes a world power. Successors to Mao Zedong have stated that China's assumptions of an important global role in agriculture, industry, science, and the military is one of their central goals for the remainder of this century. Although it is uncertain whether these goals will be accomplished, their articulation has greatly stimulated speculation about the likelihood and implications of a world populated by more than two superpowers.

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Pollack, Jonathan D., China's potential as a world power. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1980. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6524.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.