The Discourse on China’s Rise

This article investigates the evolution of Chinese discourse on the rise of China. The phrase “China’s rise” began to appear in the discourse of Western media in the early 1990s. China’s response to this phrase has witnessed some interesting changes over the years, from rejecting to reluctantly accepting, and to fully embracing it as a discourse reflecting the subtle changes in China’s identity and its strategic thinking. This article attempts to identify the sources and implications of the changes in the discourse on China’s rise in recent years.