China's Internal Debates on Strategic Choices in the Asia-Pacific Region

The explosion of the international financial crisis in 2008 unexpectedly brought China into the final stage of its rise to a great power. The China shock ignited a strong response from the United States and Australia, which are strategic allies to each other. Trilateral relations between China, the United States, and Australia thus began to take shape. As an important player in the trilateral game, China should review its position and role by drafting a new strategy to promote its new interests. However, in strategic debates among Chinese academics - hardliners and softliners alike - proposals for China's strategic readjustment do not meet the need for a revamped, comprehensive foreign strategy, particularly with regard to China's new situation in the trilateral framework. China's reluctance to devise a grand strategy thus far has hindered its rise - a trend that will continue until China articulates and adopts a strategic approach that is consistent with its new global position.