CHINA’S FOREIGN POLICY UNDER XI JINPING’S ADMINISTRATION: FROM PEACEFUL RISE TO GREAT POWER STATUS?

The rise of China is perhaps the most consequential process for the twenty-first century international politics. China is now the largest trading nation and the second largest economy in the world. Furthermore, China has actively involved in regional and global affairs, increasing its political, diplomatic and cultural influence across the globe, from Southeast and Central Asia to Middle East, Africa, and Europe. In international relations, the concept of “China's rise” is never clear, usually being defined in broader terms such as national capabilities, political influence, or soft power. However, the word “rise” indicates an expansion of the political power perhaps until the superpower status. This paper tries to identify the characteristics of China's foreign policy under Xi Jinping's Administration and to demonstrate that China's “peaceful rise” from 2003 is not the same with its rise in 2017. We can say that China's foreign policy has entered a phase of transition, from peaceful rise to great power status.