In an increasingly globalised world, there is one country that strikes as to have the most pivotal role and profound successes especially in the 21st century. China, " transformed itself from an isolated society into [a] superpower with global interests and responsibilities" (Hickey & Guo, 2010 p. 10) in the fields of politics, economy and foreign assistance.
China's political influence and diplomatic affairs have extended across borders throughout the years and they are now, as the founding prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru would put it, "[t]he mighty power of the world ", knocking off previous formidable powers Russia and the USA (Uberoi, 2008). Despite being a socialist country, Guthrie (2006, pg. 9) states that China has progressively developed institutions of democracy, as globalisation takes over the world. The Chinese leadership established a new international order, to develop international synchronisation. With that objective, the Hu-Wen Administration proposed the 'harmonious world' concept in the 2005 UN Summit, which covered issues of multilateralism and common security, cooperation based on mutual benefit, and construction of a harmonious world based on tolerance and mutual acceptance (Hickey & Guo, 2010 p. 35). In addition to that, the strategic partnership between China and the European Union (EU) aligns perfectly with this concept. Crossick and Reuter (2007, p. 227) point out that this cooperation enables them to " cooperate at the technical level in establishing and implementing international standards". Other than that, China's participation in East Asian regionalism has further strengthened her position. China's strategic location in East Asia makes her the strongest continental power that is capable of extending influence to parts of South, Southeast and Central Asia (Hickey & Guo, 2010 p. 56). Big powers like the USA, Japan, Russia, China and India, are obliged to handle East Asia delicately on matters of bilateral and multilateral relations considering that East Asia is "at the core of China's strategic zones" (Hickey & Guo, 2010 p.
