International security in the 21st century Essay

International security in the 21st century - Essay Example Still there are some key objectives which determine the foreign policy of Beijing. Among them we can see the aim to promote Chinese economy to maintain its double annual growth; an effort to separate Taiwan; the wish to increase the international prestige of China and efficiently compete with the supremacy of the USA. To achieve these objectives in recent years China has concluded a number of bilateral partnerships and agreements, joined or increased its activity in numerous international organizations and established a few organizations, which are not participated by the USA. In some points China’s approach in policy has several advantages compared with that of the USA. Beijing provides â€Å"unrestricted† nature for overseas investments and loans, which is very attractive for foreign governments. Large state-owned Chinese companies are so strongly supported by their government that they can even afford small short-term losses in favor of prospective long-term profits (Boxell, 2004). However, there are weak points in China’s approach in comparison with the USA. Due to China’s â€Å"win-win† method dealing first with easy problems and putting off the more complicated ones, its foreign development policy has a much narrower base. China actively gets and develops the international presence, while this brings a lot of unexpected issues, for example, â€Å"it provides many opportunities for international misunderstanding and cultural conflicts† (Ellis, 2004). And lastly, in contrast to the USA, China does not benefit from well-developed private sector. However, it is clear that China’s growing international cooperation not only with undemocratic governments but also with key U.S. allies gives reasons to focus the attention on its foreign policy objectives. The convincing argument for this is the fact that since its foundation in 1949 the PRC has greatly changed its foreign policy having shifted from the Mao Zedongâ⠂¬â„¢s policy of â€Å"self-reliance† to deep and wide multinational relations. Already in 1978, two years after Mao’s death China actively started looking for foreign presence, investments and technologies. Since 2000 China’s diplomacy became particularly sophisticated and active (Ellis, 2004). China’s â€Å"New Security Concept† This report would not be complete without mentioning some important changes in security policy of China. China’s politicians stress that in post-Cold War world the PRC’s security policy is based on â€Å"mutual trust, mutual equality, and cooperation†. Accordingly, today China does its best to assure the world that its economy, international development and military potential do not threaten to other countries and serve to balance the power of the USA (Goldstein, 2005). It is difficult to define the PRC’s security policy precisely; it neither spreads its ideology, nor aggressively demands for n ew territories. However, it is undoubtedly that it represents a challenge to policymakers of the USA and raises many unanswered questions: does China’s global activity have a pragmatic strategy or it is just aimed to achieve economic advantages? Does China intend to replace the USA as a global power or it just focuses on internal development? Does China feel confident and strong or uncertain and weak? The â€Å"Soft Power† Concept First the term of â€Å"soft power† was used by Harvard professor Joseph S. Nye, Jr. as opposite to â€Å"