The modern resurgence of China
At this time of year, my professional commitments are light, so I sign up for a number of short courses at the City Lit further education college in central London. My sixth such course of this summer was delivered by a lecturer called John Berryman and it was titled “China: sphere of influence”.
The course involves two lectures, but I will have to miss the second one because I have a speaking engagement in Belfast.
This lecture put China’s modern resurgence into the context of recent history. The period from the 1840s to the 1940s – which included the opium wars and territorial losses of 1839-1842 & 1856-1860 – are seen by the Chinese as “the century of humiliation” and China’s economic and military growth under the Communists is seen as a return to the country’s rightful place in world politics as a major and important power.
China is the most populous country in the world with almost 1.4 billion people. It is also the third largest nation – after Russia and Canada – and, like all large powers, its grand strategy is shaped by its geographical circumstances.
China asserts strong hold on the province of Xinjiang conquered in the 18th century and the territory of Tibet annexed in 1951, so that it has secure borders on all sides. Now China is building a Blue Water navy to assert its power in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and it is investing throughtout Asia, Africa and South America to create strategic assets like ports and acquire strategic minerals, metals and sources of energy.