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After the Second World War, the United States led the world in the reform of global governance. It also articulated and implemented a grand strategy to cope with the bipolar order that the war had brought into being. Confronted at present with a comparable crisis in global governance amid massive shifts in the global distribution of wealth and power, the United States has yet to articulate a vision, lead reform efforts, or reformulate its global strategy. This lapse from leadership reflects changes in the US political system that reinforce a militarized approach to foreign policy and make it difficult, if not impossible, for the United States to formulate strategic initiatives or to implement them through diplomacy and other measures short of war.

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This chapter focuses on the People’s Republic of China’s “grand strategy” in world affairs. Grand strategiy, for all powers, is rooted in the nation’s past and its historical evolution. As such, this chapter traces the various historical and cultural sources of China’s contemporary approach to the world. It argues that China has a deep sense of greatness—but also wounded pride. In particular, different sources of China’s traditions, encounters with the West, border insecurities, and preoccupation with the United States. The author argues that China’s relations with the United States are reaching a critical, and dangerous, point.

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