Work

Imagined Weakness: The peaceful riser identity and Beijing’s policy overcorrection in the South China Sea

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article investigates why Beijing’s South China Sea (SCS) policy has become predominantly coercive under Xi Jinping. It argues that an identity–policy discrepancy, rooted in Chinese strategic culture and intensified during Hu Jintao’s tenure, served as a key catalyst. The gap between Hu’s peaceful riser identity and the assertive actions taken in the SCS created an ‘imagined weakness’ that the Xi administration sought to correct, resulting in an overcorrection that surpassed Hu’s already assertive approach. By tracing shifts in China’s discourse and policy over time, the article highlights the continuity between the Hu and Xi eras and examines how the former influenced the latter’s strategic trajectory—a critical yet often overlooked dimension for understanding China’s evolving approach to the SCS and its foreign policy more broadly.

Source: International Relations of the Asia-Pacific

DOI: 10.1093/irap/lcaf006

Authors: Minran Liu, Edward Sing Yue Chan

Institutions: The University of Queensland, Australian National University

Language: English

Topic: International Relations and Foreign Policy

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,571