China's Global Governance and Peaceful Rise

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R4L Report 2
Reading 1
The author, Thomas Christensen, had the honor and privilege to work as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs between 2006 and 2008. This position gave him responsibility for policy toward China, Hong Kong, Mongolia, and Taiwan. In Chapter 5, he explores the challenges China has to grapple with while participating in global governance. According to the author, one fundamental challenge is that other countries expect China to contribute to the cost of sustaining the stability of the current international system (Christensen 125). They assume that because China is the most influential developing country in the world, it has the financial capacity to contribute more money toward global governance. However, this is a gross misconception since, as Chinese analysts and officials argue, the country’s GDP is significantly small compared to other great powers (Christensen 126).
Regarding climate change, the author intimates that both China and the United States acknowledge how difficult it is to sacrifice national interests at the expense of global objectives. In ensuring environmental safety, for instance, the two powerhouses find it almost impossible to make compromises to mitigate greenhouse emissions. One of the factors that make it increasingly difficult for the two countries to make tangible progress on the same is domestic politics (Christensen 147). However, the author is confident that the two countries, accounting for 40% of greenhouse emissions in the world, can cut a deal that can significantly impact climate change (Christensen 148). Several factors, including domestic ground-level pollution, would be pivotal in realizing such a crucial pact. Were the...