Schwerpunktverschiebung nach Asien? China und Indien als aufstrebende Großmächte

Abstract

Abstact

Is Asia Gaining in Global Gravity? China and India as Aspiring Great Powers.

According to common wisdom, the economic rise of Asia will bring about a colossal shift in the global distribution of wealth and of power, with the East being on the receiving end of both. In Asia, this is naturally seen as favourable, while some Western countries are concerned – especially the United States. The governments and think tanks of the apprehensive countries argue either for containment or for better integration of the Asian giants into the system of global governance. This article argues that the uninterrupted economic growth of India and China cannot be taken for granted, as long reform agendas still have to be tackled. Furthermore, the rise of these nations will not automatically spur military confl icts between the established powers or produce international security risks in general, as simplistic realist perspectives suggest. Rather, challenges resulting from the ascent of the Asian giants will be more economic in nature, as the development trajectories of China and India are capital and energy intensive, and therefore, only to a limited extent, economically, socially and ecologically sustainable.