Explaining Chinese Solutions to Territorial Disputes with Neighbour States

Abstract

From the beginning of the colonial period to the height of western imperialism, and throughout the course of former colonies’ national independence, territorial disputes have been a root cause of war and conflict between states. As China shares a border with more countries than any other state, it exists within an extremely complicated geo-political environment. China has formally resolved border issues with 12 neighbour countries, but sovereignty disputes over more than 22,000 kilometers of territory along China's borders have yet to be settled. Conciliation of these territorial disputes is crucial to China's peaceful development. These disputes generate hostilities and reservations within the international community on China's rise and also create challenges as regards national image and China's diplomacy. Since the establishment of the PRC, China has successfully resolved territorial and border disputes with many neighbour states through a peaceful and concessionary diplomatic approach based on mutual understanding.1 But border issues involving India, the USSR, and Vietnam have exploded into armed conflict. Why has China chosen hard-line policies on certain border issues but a more concessionary posture on others? What factors drive and have impact upon China's handling of its territorial disputes? Does China's development actually threaten the international community in a way that resonates with the ‘China Threat Theory’ advanced in the West? This article applies power transition theory to distinguish the factors that have impact upon China's handling of territorial disputes.