Economic Globalization and Power Transition:China and the United States

• Main Authors: Sarah Windmuller, 薩微默
• Other Authors: Yujen Kuo
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/05665988206176109097

碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 中國與亞太區域研究所 === 101 === China, the currently second largest world economy, experienced enormous GDP growth rates and domestic development since it introduced its open-door policy in 1978. Multinational companies from developed countries started investing into facilities and infrastructure in China because of lower production costs. Through further liberalization of its markets, China also got engaged into several international Free Trade Agreements which brought its economy closer to those of developed nations. In recent years, this trend of inward investments and financial flows into China shifted and now it is China starting to build a powerful system of assisting funding and outward foreign direct investment to developing countries mainly located in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Although its motivations to invest in those regions are of different background, the increasing Chinese soft power which comes along with this development is to be further examined in this thesis. With the help of comparisons between China’s and the United States’ economic assistance in developing nations, possible power transitions in the international political arena should be identified. The gained insights are of major interest for the near-future development of international relations, because China is considered to be the only country which has enough economic power, and therefore enough possible political power, to challenge the United States’ unipolar moment.