China as a ‘rising power’: why the status quo matters

China’s material interests are in a stable global order, given the immense benefits that Beijing has enjoyed under extant conditions. Although some accounts seek to portray China as a revisionist power, this is not consistent with the interests of China’s growing economy or its transnational elites. Rather, Beijing requires that the status quo remains, at least when it comes to the basic economic underpinnings of the global system. Given some of the contradictions within the Chinese economy, a calm global order whereby China seeks to resolve its problems is critical for Beijing. Thus China can be expected to continue to support and contribute to the global capitalist system, rather than seek to change it in any meaningful fashion.