World Leader of Second Tier?: China's Response to the Uncertain Decline of American Hegemony.

Far from the realists? description, little has shown that China is taking a revisionist strategy against the American hegemony. Rather, China has taken a prudent policy to improve her global leadership while her comprehensive cooperation with the United States has never been excluded. China might not satisfy with the U. S. hegemony; however, China is far from the capabilities to overcome the strategic limits that her title of „Rising Power� has generated. Besides, China is not certain that the 2008 financial crisis has already speeded the decline of American hegemony. And finally, China has evaluated that she could not surpass American comprehensive power before the end of 21st century. This paper will describe firstly China?s evaluation on the relative global power distribution from the perspectives of China?s �low-profile� strategy. Then the focus will put on the dilemma that China has suffered from the global second rank. The final part will explore challenges that hamper China?s low-key rising strategy. It concludes that China is a second-tier global leader for she has neither intentions nor the capability to generate a Chinese hegemony in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]