Quote:
Originally Posted by Ithekro
There is more to being a superpower than population. Sometimes even economy is not enough really. It takes a country willing to influence a very large section of the world and more or less dominate it. It does not take a democracy to do that. But it does take a country willing to dominate. Historically speaking, that is not China's character. Even in the days we it pretty much was the economic and population leader of the planet...it didn't care to dominate. Everyone goes to China. All gold comes to China. There is nothing else the world has that China wants. That was pretty much China from Roman Times until the Opium Wars.
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Every superpower projects its influence as far as it can go. Ancient China was not an exception.
The single most important factor is the geographical limits. To the west are high mountains and deserts, to the north is a big grassland, to the east is Pacific Ocean, and to the south is present-day Vietnam and Cambodia where climate and trophical disease (malaria) are too hostile for Han Chinese. These are lands that would take immense resources to invade but gain little in return. There were few incentives for emperors to attack unless there was a need. Most expeditions were held to repel invasions from the north.
It is a poor generalization to say China was not aggressive. It went through dozens of dynasties in its history, some stronger than others. And they follow different policies regarding foreign nations. There were examples of Chinese emperors deciding to invade if neighbouring nations refused to accept their rule and pay tributes. Sui Dynasty invaded present-day Southern Vietnam and Korea. Qing invaded Mongolia, Xinjiang, Sichuanm, etc. Emperors tend to view all area within his influence as part of his kingdom, and any dissent would be seen as a rebellion.
The geographical and technological issues that stopped ancient China from expanding further are largely gone. Already China is more assertive to its claim to outlying islands in the Pacific. Obviously it is not about to invade anyone in near future. Its military might is still many decades from catching up to US. But as China grows in strength and US seemingly on a gradual (relative) decline. It will almost certainly seek to increase its own sphere of influence. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. It is the way of every powerful nation in history. China is no exception.