The Rise of China and the U.S. led world order
Authors
Andersen, Hjalte Tikær ; Jensen, Mikkel Kusk
Term
4. term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-29
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan Kinas økonomiske og teknologiske fremvækst påvirker den U.S.-ledede verdensorden. Forfatterne udvikler en analytisk ramme, der integrerer fem perspektiver fra international politik og politisk økonomi—realisme, liberalisme, socialkonstruktivisme, verdenssystemteori og neo-gramsciansk teori—med det formål at give en helhedsorienteret forståelse af Kinas opstigning. Metodisk kombineres den teoretiske syntese med et casestudie af U.S.-Kina-handelskrigen, understøttet af kvalitative og kvantitative data, for at illustrere teoriernes forklaringskraft. Specialet søger ikke at udpege én korrekt teori, men at vise, hvordan perspektiverne tilsammen belyser muligheder og udfordringer ved Kinas fremvækst. Resultaterne peger på, at Kinas opstigning har bidraget til en mere multipolær verdensorden. Casestudiet indikerer, at handelskrigen ikke alene handlede om at reducere U.S.’ handelsunderskud, men også om at udskyde et potentielt magtskifte, hæmme normdiffusionen af den kinesiske udviklingsmodel og begrænse Kinas voksende indflydelse i global governance og strategiske teknologier. Indtil videre har handelskrigen ikke indfriet den daværende Trump-administrations erklærede mål.
This thesis examines how China’s economic and technological rise is reshaping the U.S.-led world order. It develops an analytical framework that integrates five perspectives from international relations and political economy—realism, liberalism, social constructivism, world-systems theory, and neo-Gramscian theory—to provide a holistic understanding of China’s ascent. Methodologically, the theoretical synthesis is combined with a case study of the U.S.-China trade war, supported by qualitative and quantitative evidence, to demonstrate the explanatory power of each perspective. Rather than adjudicating among theories, the study shows how they jointly illuminate the opportunities and challenges posed by China’s rise. Findings indicate that China’s ascent has contributed to a more multipolar world order. The case suggests the trade war was driven not only by efforts to reduce the U.S. trade deficit, but also by attempts to delay a power transition, constrain the norm diffusion of China’s development model, and counter its growing influence in global governance and strategic technologies. To date, the trade war has not achieved the Trump administration’s stated objectives.
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