Superpower Responsibility, China, the South China Sea and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Since the coming into power of President Xi Jinping in China in 2012, an important objective of Beijing’s foreign policy has been to modify the international order to correspond with China’s rising power and to fulfill the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and becoming a superpower. As a superpower, China is expected to bear the responsibilities of providing public goods, maintaining stability, and upholding the norms and values that are respected by other states. This paper examines the Chinese attempt to merge as a key player in international affairs and use two case studies of China’s policy towards the South China Sea and its international responses to the Covid-19 pandemic to argue that Beijing has, to some extent, fallen short of the duties of a superpower.