America Dreams of Modern Chinese Empire : Modern Superpowers, Nation-States and the Imperial Past

Abstract

Since 1912, academics have utilized political concepts from China’s pre-republican histories to better predict Chinas’ national and global ambitions. More recently, comparative studies have focused on the People’s Republic of China’s potential use of historical political models to increase its social and political centrality. China’s pasts play a great role in how people conceptualize Chinas’ futures both within and without China, but the search for the PRC’s place in the evolving global order occurs in a more competitive environment that often misunderstands and misuses the past. Some scholars and researchers have increasingly used the word empire to describe the contemporary ambitions of the PRC and make China appear more antipodal to the USA. However, is the PRC a modern empire in all but name, and are scholars correct in attributing such a loathed description? The choice of empire not only seeks to undermine the legitimacy of the PRC, but also amalgamates various past and present definitions of empire without distinction and clarification. Although the past can act as a guide to understanding contemporary China, the dream of a modern hegemonic Chinese empire based on pre-modern designs should not steer US’ decision-making on its most pressing foreign policy challenge.