Recently China has adopted very strong responses to U.S. pressure for
yuan exchange rate appreciation as well as to Japan for territorial dispute.
Does the aggressive behavior of China to the United States mean a
fundamental change of Chinese foreign policy toward the U.S.? Does China
really challenge the U.S. dominating existing international order on the basis
of the rapid growth of national capabilities?
In order to explain such behavioral changes of China toward the U.S., this study analyzes the report of 17th National Congress of the Chinese
Communist Party which determines the Chinese foreign policy as well as the
practical application of the Chinese foreign policy by investigating behavior
and diplomacy of China implemented toward African, Central Asian, and Latin
American countries.
The results of both literature studies of the report that 17th National
Congress of the CCP and empirical case studies focusing on Chinese behavior
and foreign policies towards Africa, Central Asia, and Latin America clearly
show that China has opposed the U.S. hegemony and pursued a multipolar
international order in an equal status with the U.S. by adopting soft power
strategy in the Africa, by utilizing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) in Central Asia, and by focusing on resource diplomacy in Latin
America. This means that China has attempted to check and balance the
United States through a variety of strategies for the pursuit of a multipolar
international order. However, at the present time, China has not been
pursuing hard balancing strategy against the U.S. through rapid military
buildup as well as military alliances. It is confirmed that China currently
emphasizes and pursues a multipolar international order by adopting such soft
balancing strategies as soft power, multilateralism and resource diplomacy
against the United States.