Understanding China’s Expansion Policies and its Thirst to be a Superpower.

China’s Intention to Become a Great Power by 2049

Since assuming power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has clearly articulated his vision of the “Chinese dream” which seeks to achieve the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Xi has vowed to “restore” China’s historical influence and status by transforming China into a moderately prosperous state by 2020 and a rich, strong, and fully-developed great power by 2049. A major component of the Chinese dream includes the strengthening and expansion of China’s military capabilities. Beijing has specifically tasked the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to complete military reform and modernization by 2035 and to become a world-class military by 2050.

In order to achieve these ambitious goals, the Chinese government has undertaken significant measures both at home and abroad.

A Little Dig into the History

During the Cold War era, which was taking place between the United States of America and Russia, every major country got affected due to it an exception being China. During that particular era, China worked on its military, infrastructure, and technological developments and it can be seen very well now.

Expansionist Idea and Debt Trap Policy

China has been expanding its boundaries far beyond its own land, till Djibouti, a country in East Africa present between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east till the Philippines. Small and developing countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Djibouti, Philippines, etc get trapped in the Chinese "Debt Trap Policy" which involves investments by China into the country and if the country fails to repay the debt which usually is in millions and billions of dollars, China acquires a particular land of that country on lease for a decided period of time.

The most recent example of this being the port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka which has been given on lease to China for 99 years and now China has been establishing its military bases there which would give it the access to the Indian ocean as well the Arabian sea and subsequently the Strait of Malacca quite easily. 

  Recently, Chinese expansions in the South China Sea which they claim to be theirs according to the 9 dash line have taken a pace. Various neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have protested against the move to the international level but as the whole world is busy handling the pandemic little attention is being given to the matter and the rising military tensions in the South China Sea.

Looking at Trends in Chinese patterns

We all are very well aware of the current standoff in the Ladakh sector between the Chinese PLA and the Indian Army due to the improper demarcation of borders between both the countries claiming some part of the disputed land as their own. Even during the 1962 Sino-Indian war, the Chinese came to war only to divert their citizen's minds from the famine and the death of almost 36 million citizens due to it. Even today the situation is more or less similar only now the famine is replaced with Coronavirus pandemic and internal conflict.

Talks between the two countries both on military and diplomatic levels are still underway and both will try to deescalate the tension because going to war is an expensive affair both economically and development wise since it slows the growth of countries by a decade.