Questions of Sovereignty on China’s National Day

Dean Cheng / October 01, 2010

On the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), China’s borders appear to be under more pressure than at any time since the end of the Cold War. This is not because of external threats to China, but due to greater Chinese assertiveness in various territorial disputes. Consequently, as the dust settles from the recent Sino-Japanese confrontation over the Senkakus islands, decision-makers throughout Asia are assessing prospects for the future.

For both China’s Asian neighbors and the United States, this pricklier and more aggressive approach to border disputes is troubling. Chinese decision makers appear to have concluded that its combination of greater economic wherewithal and growing military capability allow Beijing to dictate the resolution of border disputes in its own favor. (more…)