En (for) hurtig kinesisk opstigen til stormagt. Hvor er pauseknappen?

What kind of great power is China? e dominant analysis in the West is that Beijing is increasingly acting in a self-con dent and even aggressive way pushing for its own demands and interests. With point of depar- ture in a characteristic of China in the international system today, this article argues that developments in Chinese foreign and security policy in recent years also re ect an insecure, inward-looking and reactive China still struggling with how to handle its new international role and the new and complex challenges and rising expectations that come with it. Consequently, Chinese foreign and security policy is currently in a process of reconstruction to better t China’s new international role as well as the changed domestic conditions and demands. Beijing’s di erent handling of the ongoing con icts in Libya and Syria illustrates this process.