China’s second rise will have consequences for the world

Some over-enthusiastic Western analysts argue that, given China’s phenomenal rise, Russia may gradually become a Chinese vassal state

- The author comments on global affairs

“China” ruled by the Chinese Communist Party. Beijing is, of course, not ruling out Taiwan's peaceful reunification. Some analysts argue that Beijing is no fan of chaos. It likes to play the long game.

No Chinese Communist leader had previously used the phrase “great rejuvenation” either as a symbol or a policy. Some pundits see it as a call to take China back to its former glory at the centre of the world. The Chinese dream has also been invoked as a cornerstone of its philosophical thought.

The Chinese Dream is President Xi's “mission statement” and “political manifesto” for the party and the country’s future. Will that dream include reclaiming its lost territories? China's interpretation of its history is quite problematic. Beijing often claims Mongolia and the Siberian lands in Russia, as these were integral to the Tang dynasty that ruled from 618 to 907.

The collective memory with regard to its humiliation and territorial loss is paramount in Chinese political culture. Henry Kissinger writes in his book On China about Mao laying implacable belief that breakaway regions, like Taiwan, Tibet, Mongolia, Xinjiang, Himalayan border areas, and the eastern edge of Burma, belonged to China.